FLOOD STUDY Middlesex County, NJ

1. FLOOD STUDYMiddlesex County, NJ FEMA REGION II August 24, 2011 10:00am

2. Agenda • Introductions • National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) • FEMA Strategic Plan & Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) Goals • Risk MAP Program Overview • Meeting Objectives • Current Status of Middlesex County Flood Study • Risk Assessment • Community Engagement • Questions

3. Introductions • Local – Middlesex County (Host) & Communities • State – New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Principal Engineer: Tom Slowinski Senior Engineer: Kunal Patel GIS 3: Chris Gould, CFM FEMA Region II Risk Analysis Branch Chief: ScottDuell Risk Analysis Risk Assessment Lead/Senior Engineer: Alan Springett Risk Analysis Branch Senior Planner: Cathleen Carlisle Communications and Outreach Lead: William McDonnell Study Project Manager:Paul Weberg, PE Floodplain Management and Insurance Lead: Kim Rizzo Regional Support Center Outreach Lead: Crystal Smith, CFM

4. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) • The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 created the Federal Insurance Administration to: • Identify flood-prone areas within the U.S. • Establish flood-risk zones within those areas • Provides flood insurance only IF the community participates in NFIP • Participating communities agree to adopt and enforce ordinances that meet or exceed FEMA’s requirement • The program goal is to reduce the risk of flooding losses

5. “The Three-Legged Stool” • The NFIP balances three related program areas • Flood Hazard Identification (Mapping) 2. Floodplain Management (Regulations such as building codes And zoning) 3. Flood Insurance (Provision of Flood Insurance for Property owners in participating Communities)

6. Floodplain Management • Prevent increases in flood losses • Regulations, zoning ordinances & building codes • Reduce the flood risk to existing development • Disaster preparedness • Flood Insurance • Emergency Plans • Structural Measures (dams, reservoirs, dikes, levees & floodwalls) • Preserve and restore natural floodplains • Floodplain, wetland, coastal barrier resources regulations • Development/Redevelopment policies

7. Middlesex County – NFIP Policies, Claims, Repetitive Losses, CRS, CAC & CAV

8. Community Rating System (CRS) • The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed minimum NFIP requirements • As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS: • Reduce flood losses; • Facilitate accurate insurance rating; and • Promote awareness of flood insurance

9. Guiding Principles • Engage communities early and often • Agree upon and document project outcomes and responsibilities • Coordinate with other programs operating within the same community • Leverage associations to provide a third-party perspective • Use local media and language that people understand

10. Risk MAP Program Overview

11. FEMA’s FY10 Flood Mapping Progress Report and Production Plan • With FY2009 and FY2010 Congressional appropriations for Flood Hazard Mapping, FEMA is conducting flood map update projects: • Improve engineering and mapping for high flood risk areas affected by coastal flooding, levees, and other riverine flood hazards • Leverage established Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) relationships and resources • To learn more, see the FEMA’s FY10 Flood Mapping Progress Report and Production Plan on www.fema.gov

12. Recent Activities • Introduction to Risk MAP - Face to Face • Initial meetings conducted – via Webinar: • July, 2011 • Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth • August, 2011 • Middlesex, Union, Hudson, Essex • 2010 • April - Morris • June – Bergen, Somerset • July - Essex • August – Monmouth, Union • September - Cape May • October – Passaic, Middlesex • November – Atlantic • December – Ocean • 2011 • February – Cumberland, Salem • June – Cumberland, Union • July - Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean, Monmouth

13. Meeting Objectives • Engage Middlesex County and communities and promote local residents to reduce their vulnerability to risk • Provide information to local officials to help them communicate flood risk to residents and businesses • Provide an update on the current status of Middlesex County’s Flood Study • Encourage partnerships and collaborations to leverage and advance risk management and mitigation measures

14. Middlesex County Flood Study -Overview • Project Team • Local Officials • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Cooperating Technical Partner) • FEMA • Risk Assessment, Mapping, and Planning Partners (RAMPP), a joint venture of Dewberry, URS, and ESP • Regional Support Center (RSC) • Regional Program Management Lead

15. Milestones • Coastal Surge Study complete: October, 2011 • Coastal Overland wave analysis complete: January, 2012 • Coastal Analysis complete: Mid 2012 • Preliminary Flood Study: July 2012

16. Middlesex County Flood Study - Update On the Current Status • Field reconnaissance has been completed. • Coastal analyses are in process. Transect layouts have been defined. Draft Geographic Information System characteristics have been produced. • Awaiting response from communities to the letters sent out in January, 2010 regarding data request

17. Middlesex County Flood Study - Paneling Scheme • Restudy of all coastal hazard zones

18. Local Communities – Data Gathering • Local technical data availability? • Bridge replacements; new storm water management systems; new H&H studies; new aerial photography and/or topographic information, etc. • Contacted each community letting them know about coastal field reconnaissance taking place in their communities in November 2009 & July 2010, and data request back in January 21, 2010 • No response received • Is this an accurate representation of your communities? • Levee impacted areas? • FEMA is exploring more precise approaches for identifying flood hazards in areas impacted by levees

19. Coastal Storm Surge and Overland Wave Hazard Analysis Overview – Gulf & Atlantic 6. MAPPING 5. RUNUP 4. WAVES 3. EROSION 2. SETUP 1. SURGE

20. Coastal Study Technical Panel • The intent of the technical panel is to engage subject matter experts in coastal engineering analysis process • Meetings were held on: • 4/14/2011 • 5/10/2011 • Members: • Academics and Other Interested Parties: • Stevens Institute of Technology • Richard Stockton College of NJ • City University of New York – Hunter College • Cousteau Institute under Rutgers University • Columbia University • Barnegat Bay Partnership • State and Local Government: • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection • New York State Department of Environmental Conservation • New York City • Northeast States Emergency Consortium • Other Federal Agencies: • USACE • NOAA • USGS

21. Risk MAPMitigation Planning • Hazard Mitigation Plans: • Guides your decisions on mitigation activities for all hazards you face • Are an important resource for responding to disasters • Facilitates access to federal assistance for mitigation • We reviewed your mitigation plans and found that: • Middlesex County:2011 Mitigation Plan: • County Approved

22. Middlesex County, NJ Mitigation Plan Update

23. Risk Communications • Federal/State/Local goals: • To create safer communities and reduce risk to lives and property • To effectively communicate risk and increase public awareness, leading citizens to make informed decisions regarding their risk • Key factors contributing to successful achievement of these goals are: • Community engagement and exchange of flood risk information • Effective collaboration through partnerships • Strategic communications plan development

24. Risk Communications • Acknowledgement of the challenges in the complex, multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional, and evolving processes of risk communications • Conflicting priorities and messages • Difficulty in translating scientific information • Disagreements on what constitutes risk • FEMA created a list of supporting, customizable tools and templates and is currently developing those materials in order of need as identified by FEMA Regions • Region II is waiting on FEMA HQ’s development and outcomes • Region II is initiating its own risk communications strategy

25. * * - OFA = Other Federal Agencies

26. Risk CommunicationsNJ Coastal Outreach Strategy • The overarching goal of the New Jersey Coastal Outreach Strategy is to globally increase awareness of, and engagement in, the remapping of NJ coastal counties. • Key themes: • Flood risks have changed in many coastal communities since the date on their effective FIRM panels • When completed, the storm surge study will contain valid, defensible results • Mitigation Planning involves learning about the hazards that can impact a community, setting clear goals to reduce their vulnerability to the identified hazards, and putting in place long-term hazard mitigation strategies • Coordinated, sustained mitigation activities are the best way to ensure your community will be physically, socially, and economically resilient to future natural hazard impacts

27. Risk Communication StrategyResources • Region III Coastal Website: • www.R3Coastal.com • Region IV Coastal Website: • http://www.southeastcoastalmaps.com • Region VI Coastal Website: • http://www.txchart.com • Region II Coastal Website: • To be announced

28. Example FEMA Region IIRisk MAP Activities Schedule • Current: August, 2011 • Risk MAP Introduction • October, 2011 • Mitigation Planning • December, 2011 • National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) & Community Rating System (CRS) • February, 2012 • Technical Details of the Study • April, 2012 • Risk Assessment • June, 2012 • Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) • August, 2012 • Risk Communication

29. Resources • FEMA: www.fema.gov • Floodsmart, the official site of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP): www.floodsmart.gov • Risk Assessment, Mapping and Planning Partners: www.RAMPP-team.com • NFIP Reform: www.fema.gov/business/nfip/nfip_reform.shtm • HAZUS-MH software: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/index.shtm • National Tool software: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/floodplain/data_tool.shtm • Hazus User Groups: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_users.shtm#4 • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - NFIP Coordinator • New Jersey State Office of Emergency Management

30. Questions & Feedback • Please complete your survey. Your feedback is very important to us. • This presentation & hand-outs will be posted at: www.RAMPP-TEAM.com Contact Information • NJDEP Joseph Ruggeri / John Scordato / Tom Slowinski / Chris Gould / Kunal Patel NJDEP, Bureau of Dam Safety & Flood Control Phone: 609-292-2296 NJDEP website: www.nj.gov/dep/floodcontrol • FEMA Risk Analysis Branch Chief: Scott Duell / 212-680-3630 / Scott.Duell@dhs.gov Risk Analysis Risk Assessment Lead/Senior Engineer: Alan Springett / 212-680-8557/ Alan.Springett@dhs.gov Communications and Outreach: William McDonnell / 212-680-3636 / William.McDonnell@dhs.gov Study Project Manager: Paul Weberg / 212-680-3638 / Paul.Weberg@dhs.gov Flood Insurance & Management: Kim Rizzo/ 212-680-3637 / Kim.Rizzo@dhs.gov Mitigation Planning: Cathleen Carlisle / 212-680-8529 / Cathleen.Carlisle@dhs.gov HAZUS & GIS: Brian Shumon / 212-680-3631 / Brian.Shumon@dhs.gov Regional Support Center Coordinator: Andrew Martin / 646-216-3677 / Amartin@dewberry.com