Officials to Meet with Flood Buyout Participants Soon

The township will hold a meeting with flood victims soon to educate them on the severe repetitive loss buyout program.

Sandy Galecio, director of the township’s Office of Emergency Management, said that the township is finishing formulating a list of properties that qualify for the program.

The township will receive a $20 million grant to buyout approximately 70 homes in flood-ravaged areas throughout the township. The money has been earmarked for the town by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. About 180 homes are eligible to be bought out.

A number of factors are used to determine whether or not a property is placed on the list, including the amount of insurance claims that have been filed against the property, its fair market value, and the cost of remediating it in future flood events.

Galecio said that town, state, and FEMA officials would attend the meeting. Interested residents will submit a notice of participation.

Residents are discouraged from notifying officials and then withdrawing their request. If they withdraw, FEMA increases their flood insurance premiums “significantly,” Galecio said.

“FEMA wants to get these people out of harms way and there’s only so much money to go around to buy these properties,” Galecio said.

The township has to match 10 percent of the $20 million grant. Galecio said the town is applying to the state Blue Acres program for the matching funds. The program provides funds to assist in the remediation of damaged property and structures caused by storms or flooding. The state Department of Environmental Protection runs the program.

The town has already purchased 16 out of 28 identified homes in the Hoffman Grove section of town with a $3 million Federal Mitigation Acquisition (FMA) grant. The township had to match $1 million of the grant in order to get the $3 million.

Galecio said the township is in “various stages of negotiations” for the remaining Hoffman Grove homes.

Someone chosen by the township from a pre-selected list appraises the properties under the FMA program. Homeowners who do not agree with the appraised value can get another appraiser to evaluate the property.

Once purchased, the homes will be demolished. Structures will be torn down and foundations removed. Officials will test for hazardous materials, such as lead paints. Wells will be remediated and capped. Galecio said it should take “a number of weeks” to level the properties.

Flooding has been a hot-button issue in town this year.

Residents and officials deemed the latest flood event in August . Individuals who never received water in their homes did when Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee dumped several inches of rain on North Jersey. Houses near Ryerson Avenue were .

That flooding came not even six months after another flood event shut down major highways and drove people from their homes .

Residents have said that the floodgates on the Pompton River dam are to blame for the increased frequency and severity of flooding in lowest-lying sections in town. Governor Christie has of the gates' operation. The results will be avaialble in February.