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.

Make sure you have a plan and supplies in place to keep you and your family safe from harm from hurricanes and other storms.

• Visit Ready.gov for information about how to prepare now to keep safe.
• New York City residents can find more information on the New York City Emergency Management Preparedness page.
• New Jersey residents can get more information from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.

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.

Households, businesses, and communities are encouraged during National Preparedness Month to prepare and plan now for flooding and other disasters that can strike throughout the year. Learn about steps you can take to keep safe from floods on the Reduce Your Risk page or visit Ready.gov for more preparedness information related to flooding and other types of disasters. #NatlPrep

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.

FEMA announced $180 million in funding available through two Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs: Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM). These two grant programs assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in strengthening our nation’s ability to reduce the potential cost of natural disasters to communities and their citizens.

Both HMA FY 2015 Funding Opportunity Announcements can be found at www.grants.gov. Eligible applicants must apply for funding through the Mitigation eGrants system on the FEMA Grants Portal accessible at https://portal.fema.gov. All applications must be submitted no later than August 28, 2015 at 3 p.m. EDT.

FEMA’s HMA grant programs provide states, local governments, tribes, and territories funding for eligible mitigation activities to strengthen our nation’s ability to reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages. Further information on these grant programs is available at www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance.