DCA Now Accepting Public Comment on Amendment to Hurricane Ida Action Plan

• Posted on: 10/10/2023

Amendment Includes Policy Changes in Areas of Manville and Changes to Damage Impact Thresholds in Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program

TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) posted an amendment to the Hurricane Ida Action Plan that seeks to implement disaster recovery policy changes in areas of Manville, which was hard hit by the storm, and change the damage impact thresholds in the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP), which is the main rebuilding program for Ida-impacted homeowners seeking to repair or reconstruct their primary homes. 

Through November 7, 2023, the public can submit comment on the Ida Action Plan amendment. DCA will review and consider all feedback received during the public comment period before submitting the amendment to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for approval.

Under the amendment, Ida-impacted homeowners in certain areas of repetitive flooding in Manville will only be offered funding through the State’s Blue Acres buyout program and are not eligible for assistance to repair, rebuild, or elevate their home through HARP or the Small Rental Repair Program. Blue Acres is a program through which homeowners in flood prone areas can voluntarily sell their home to the State for fair market value so they can move out of harm’s way and the property can be turned into natural flood storage, open space, or parkland.

The areas of Manville affected by the policy change include those that experienced 5.5 feet or more of flooding inundation during Hurricane Ida and/or are located within Manville’s Lost Valley section, which has emergency access limitations during flooding events. Homes in these areas have been flooded in most major and minor flooding events and the likelihood of homes sustaining substantial damage in the next flood event is high. Final determination on whether the policy change affects individual residential properties in Manville will be made in consultation with DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

The State plans to prioritize low- to moderate-income homeowners in Manville who are impacted by the policy change for Blue Acres funding.

Also, the amendment will change the damage impact thresholds in the HARP program to remove the level of flooding and the monetary amount of damage as thresholds and replace them with alternative ways to demonstrate damage impact caused by Hurricane Ida to the home including a damage assessment; proposals/invoices evidencing repairs and storm-related mitigation measures immediately following the storm; or a HARP program assessment.

This change to the eligibility criteria will allow more low- to moderate-income households who applied to HARP to receive assistance from the program.

The Hurricane Ida Action Plan Amendment #5 is available in English and Spanish at https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/ and can be requested by email at DRMConstituentServices@dca.nj.gov or by contacting DCA’s Division of Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Constituent Services at (609) 913-4824. To obtain a copy in a language other than English or Spanish, people can contact Sylvia Johnston, the language access plan (LAP) coordinator, at Sylvia.Johnston@dca.nj.gov. For hearing-impaired users, text telephone service is available at (TTY/TDD) 1-800-852-7899.

People can submit public comments to the proposed amendment via email or regular mail. More information is available at https://www.nj.gov/dca/ddrm/home/idaapa5.shtml.  

In addition to disaster recovery and mitigation, DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, historic preservation, and information privacy.

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