The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Flood Hazard Risk Reduction Measures has been allocated Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund projects or improvements that reduce storm surge or flood risk.

Funding

The application period for Round 2 of funding is currently open and will close on April 20, 2016. A total of $25 million in grants will be awarded in Round 2. The electronic application required to apply for funding will be made available online on December 15, 2015, at http://www.nj.gov/dep/floodhazard/grants.htm.

Five projects were awarded more $18 million in Round 1 of funding announced in December 2014.

Eligibility

Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union Counties and municipalities in these counties are eligible to apply for funding. Regional coordination on projects is encouraged.

Funding Categories

• Coastal Lakes (e.g., surge reduction, increased discharge capacity)
• Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure (e.g., levees, tide gates, flood barriers)
• Stormwater Management (e.g., pump stations, capacity increase, storage areas)
• Beneficial Use of Dredge Material

Upcoming Information Sessions

November 12, 2015
Southern Information Session, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Batsto Village Auditorium, Wharton State Forest, Rt.542, Batsto, NJ

November 19, 2015
Central Information Session, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Monmouth Battlefield Visitors Center, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, 16 Business Route 33, Manalapan, NJ

Contact

If you have questions, please email Rebecca Jones at Rebecca.Jones@dep.nj.gov.

“Green Infrastructure” incorporates the natural environment and constructed systems that mimic natural processes in an integrated network that benefits nature and people. A green infrastructure approach to community planning helps diverse community members come together to balance environmental and economic goals.

The Green Infrastructure for Resilience Workshop is intended to help participants recognize green infrastructure terms and concepts; understand the ecological, economic, and societal benefits of green infrastructure; understand the wide variety of contexts and scales of approaches referred to as “green infrastructure” today; identify new or existing planning processes suitable for integrating green infrastructure concepts and techniques; and identify local green infrastructure activities and experts with additional information and resources.

Date and time: Tuesday, November 17, 2015, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Location: Jacques Cousteau Reserve, 130 Great Bay Blvd., Tuckerton, NJ 08087

Get more information.

Join the National Hydrologic Warning Council (NHWC) at its upcoming Northeast Regional Workshop on November 4th and 5th, which will focus on technological advances and necessary considerations for developing and maintaining flood resilient communities in a changing climate. The workshop is intended for flood warning practitioners, owners and operators of existing or proposed hydrologic warning systems, emergency managers, public works officials, owners and operators of high hazard dams and levees, decision makers, and river authorities.

Speakers from federal, state, and local government; non-profit organizations; academia; and the private sector will cover topics including communication technologies, community engagement, the 2013 Colorado Floods and 2015 Texas Floods, social media for enhanced warning, the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, legislative updates, and floodplain and inundation mapping.

Location: The Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, 660 Albany Shaker Road, Albany, New York 12211
Registration fees: $75 – NHWC member, $100 – Non-member

For more information, visit www.hydrologicwarning.org.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hosting a webinar to help families plan in advance for emergencies, which will help ensure that all the members of the household—including children and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, as well as outside caregivers—know how to reach each other and where to meet up in an emergency. The webinar will provide an overview of America’s PrepareAthon!, showcase the recently released Be Smart. Take Part. Create Your Family Emergency Communication Plan, and inform the public on the importance of making a family plan, especially in the event communication networks such as mobile phones and computers are not accessible.

Hear from Mathew Lyttle of the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division and guest speakers on family emergency planning, Edward Johnson and Karrie Delaney.

Register for the webinar.

National Preparedness Month Webinar Series

Having a business continuity plan is essential to establishing a successful and resilient small business. The cost of creating a disaster preparedness plan is small compared to the financial losses that may occur if there’s no plan in place.

You can get help with your own preparedness planning through a series of free webinars in September hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery. The series is presented in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Campaign during National Preparedness Month.

The 30-minute webinars will be presented at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesdays in September and cover the following topics:

• September 9: The Keystone to Disaster Recovery: Communications
  This session will discuss the steps and best practices for developing your emergency communication strategy.
• September 16: Recover from the Most Likely Disaster: Power Outage
  This session will dive into the most resilient strategies to mitigate loss of power and best practices for a swift and efficient recovery.
• September 23: Protect Your Most Valuable Asset: Prepare Your Employees
  This session will focus on the strategies and best practices for helping your employees prepare themselves and their families for a crisis.
• September 30: If You Do Nothing Else this Year…
  This session will address some simple ways to build your resilience as an organization today with minimal commitment of time and resources.

To register for any of the webinars, visit http://agilityrecovery.com/buildingblocks/#section-register.

A major challenge for coastal communities is planning for the impacts of current and future flood hazards. In this webinar hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, you will learn about two tools developed to facilitate resilience planning in coastal communities. The first step in planning for flood impacts is to understand a community’s exposure to coastal flood hazards. The Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper helps communities get the conversation started about flood hazard risks and vulnerabilities by providing maps and information showing where people, places, and natural resources are at risk from flooding. The mapper displays shallow coastal flooding, flood zones, storm surge, sea level rise, and a composite view of flood hazards, along with societal, infrastructure, and ecosystem information.

The next step in planning is to identify and prioritize strategies that address climate and hazard risks. Coastal green infrastructure is an emerging approach that communities are using to reduce the impacts of coastal hazards. With limited budgets for projects like green infrastructure, communities must prioritize natural areas that give the most benefits. The Green Infrastructure Mapping Guide is an interactive online resource to help spatial analysts who are tasked with using geographic information systems to prioritize green infrastructure to reduce hazard impacts and aid in climate adaptation.

Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Time: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET

Register for the webinar.

Each year, lack of disaster preparedness takes a severe financial toll on small businesses. Meanwhile, with solid planning, a business owner can protect both financial and human capital, developing an organization resilient enough to withstand any kind of threat.

Learn how preparedness affects your company’s bottom line at a free webinar, “The Impact of Preparedness on the Bottom Line,” hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Agility Recovery on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET.

SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies at www.preparemybusiness.org, where you can access past webinars and get additional preparedness tips.

Space is limited. Register at http://agil.me/prep4bottomline.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is partnering with the American Planning Association (APA) and the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) to offer a free quarterly webinar series to facilitate the sharing of ideas, challenges, best practices, and evolving methods and techniques in hazard mitigation planning. The webinars are intended to encourage peer-to-peer learning and exchange of information among federal, state, and local planners and plan implementers.

The webinars will primarily focus on mitigation planning for all hazards and also cover the connection between mitigation planning and recovery planning and preparedness.

Participants can earn one continuing education credit through APA and ASFPM.

Visit the APA website for more information and to learn about upcoming webinars.

The statutory 90-day appeal period is underway for many coastal New Jersey and New York communities that have received updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). During the appeal period, anyone can submit information that shows the proposed flood hazards or other information on the preliminary FIRM or in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report is not correct. The dates of the 90-day appeal period vary by community—you can check the dates that apply for your community on the Appeal Period Start and End Dates page.

For more information about the appeal and comment process and how to submit feedback, refer to the Region II Appeal Period page.

Please join FEMA and federal partners for a Listening Session in the New York City metropolitan area on the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard Implementation. The session provides the opportunity to listen, ask questions, and provide feedback on how federal agencies implement the Standard.

When: March 27, 2015 from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Where: Jerome Greene Hall, Room 104, Columbia Law School, 435 West 116th Street (corner of Amsterdam Avenue), New York, NY 10027

FEMA, on behalf of the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG), published a draft version of Implementing Guidelines that remains open for comment. The MitFLG, a collection of federal agencies with programs and authorities designed to mitigate the impacts of disasters on communities, will accept written comments through the Federal Register process from those unable to attend the public meeting. 

Due to space constraints of the facilities, seating may be limited. To reserve a seat in advance, please provide a request via email at least three days in advance with the contact information of the participant (including name, mailing address, and e-mail address), and the meeting to be attended to FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov and include the subject/attention line: Reservation Request for FFRMS. For anyone attending the meetings who is hearing or visually impaired, or who requires special assistance or accommodations, please also contact FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov.

Background

On January 30, the President issued an Executive Order, “Establishing a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input.” Future federal investments in, and affecting floodplains, will be required to meet the level of resilience established in the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard. This includes projects where federal funds are used to build new structures and facilities, or to rebuild those that have been damaged. These projects make sure that buildings are constructed to withstand the impacts of flooding, improve the resilience of communities, and protect federal investments.

The Standard requires agencies to consider the best available, actionable science of both current and future risk when taxpayer dollars are used to build or rebuild in floodplains. On average, more people die annually from flooding than any other natural hazard. Further, the costs borne by the federal government are more than any other hazard. Water-related disasters account for approximately 85% of all disaster declarations.

The MitFLG will revise the draft Implementing Guidelines, based on input received through the Listening Sessions and comments, and provide recommendations to the Water Resources Council.

The Water Resources Council will, after considering the recommendations of the MitFLG, issue amended guidelines to federal agencies on the implementation of the Standard. Agencies will not issue or amend existing regulations or program procedures until the Water Resources Council issues amended guidelines that are informed by stakeholder input.

FEMA and the MitFLG look forward to your participation and input in the process as part of the work towards reducing flood risk, increasing resilience, cutting future economic losses, and potentially saving lives.