The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II office released updates to the flood hazard maps, known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), for Middlesex County. These updates were preliminarily issued to Middlesex County and incorporated areas on January 1st, 2014. The FIRMs identify areas that have flood risk in Middlesex County. Insurance companies use FIRMs to determine flood insurance rates for buildings and their contents, and lenders utilize this information to determine flood insurance requirements. Middlesex County residents and property owners are encouraged to learn more about their flood risk and the updates shown on the preliminary flood hazard maps by looking up their property’s address in the “What’s my BFE” tool at www.region2coastal.com.
Middlesex County will hold a public Flood Risk Open House on the updates at the Middlesex County Fire Academy, 1001 Fire Academy Drive, Sayreville, NJ 08872, on January 29th, 2015 from 5pm to 9pm. No appointment is required. Using interactive flood hazard maps at this Open House, representatives from the State, Middlesex County, and FEMA and their mapping partners, will be available to answer flood risk and insurance questions, and explain the preliminary flood hazard maps. Residents are encouraged to bring their elevation certificates and/or flood insurance policies to the event in order to get the best information about how their flood insurance may change as a result of the new preliminary flood maps.
The following information will not be available at this meeting: Disaster-related recovery efforts and outstanding insurance claims.
Please plan to attend this meeting if your property is currently mapped within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), newly mapped into an SFHA, and/or if you currently have flood insurance. If you are unsure of your flood risk, please refer to the Preliminary FIRMs which are available on the FEMA Map Service Center website, https://msc.fema.gov/portal, or call the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) or your local flood plain administrator or building official.
If you are in a high-risk flood zone, known as the SFHA, you may be required by your lender to carry flood insurance. FEMA staff will be available at the Open House to talk about these changes.
Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States. It is vital for property owners to understand their risk and taking advantage of tools and programs available to them. Property owners can take action by purchasing flood insurance and implementing mitigation actions to help reduce future flooding impacts.
The preliminary flood hazard maps that will be shared at the Open House are an update of the existing FIRMs, which date back for some communities to over 30 years ago. These preliminary FIRMs and the associated Flood Insurance Study (FIS) provide the basis for flood risk education and floodplain management measures. Middlesex County is required to adopt updated maps to continue participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which makes flood insurance available to the community.
For additional information on flood hazard risk and the mapping process, please visit www.region2coastal.com.