Council OKs county multi-hazard plan to reduce flood costs

By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
   MANVILLE — Borough residents can get better prepared to deal with the next flood or disaster, now that the Borough Council has joined other communities in the county in accepting a hazard mitigation plan.
   Adoption of the Somerset County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan means Manville and other communities can apply for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make improvements to emergency shelters and personal property ahead of such disasters. The council unanimously approved the plan at Monday’s meeting.
   The hazard plan, created over 18 months by a special committee, assesses the possibilities of all kinds of natural hazards, Borough Administrator Gary Garwacke said, including floods, snowstorms, ice storms and earthquakes. The disasters are then categorized in a list of what happens most to least frequently.
   He said that flooding is categorized as the biggest threat to Manville residents.
   Consequently, Manville officials can now apply for FEMA grants to allow the borough to better prepare itself for the possibility of future floods. Some grants, Mr. Garwacke said, fund the elevation of properties, while others allow for upgrading emergency shelters which would enable the borough to purchase a standby electric generator and retrofit it for use in the case of an evacuation due to flooding.
   ”Being part of the plan opens the door for all these grant programs,” he said.
   In addition to the ability to apply for FEMA grants, Mr. Garwacke said the borough sent a letter to FEMA asking to be part of its Community Rating System, which enables residents in the accepted municipalities to qualify for reductions in flood insurance. He said he anticipates the reduction could be a minimum of 10 percent and a maximum of about 30 percent for homeowners.
   ”We are trying to lower costs,” he said.
   According to the FEMA Web site, rates are discounted in increments of 5 percent, based on classes, with a Class 1 Community receiving the highest reduction. Class rankings are based on creditable activities in the categories of public information; mapping and regulations; flood damage reduction; and flood preparedness.
   Mr. Garwacke said the extensive damage to property in Manville that followed Hurricane Floyd in 1999, “tipped the cost-benefit scales.” At that point, he said, the county and state took notice of how much damage could be done in the event of major flooding.
   Throughout the year, Mr. Garwacke said, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has continued to work on its Stony Brook Millstone River Basin project, which is being done to determine, and institute, methods for protecting residents from future floods. Currently, funds are still needed by the federal government to continue moving forward with the project.
   Mr. Garwacke said that pressure needs to be put on representatives in Washington, D.C. to lobby for the funding needed to complete the project.
   Still, Mr. Garwacke said, the Somerset County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan is an important step forward for the borough.
   Also during Monday’s council meeting, several residents questioned whether the council is moving forward with a flood committee that Mayor Lillian Zuza started several months ago. She said the group currently has four residents participating, but she would like more to be involved.
   ”We are prepared if there is a flood,” Council President Sue Asher said. “Even though there has not been a meeting, there have been discussions. It is possible to protect the town.”
   Residents interested in being part of the committee should send résumés to Manville Borough Hall, 325 N. Main St., Manville, NJ 08835 attn: Gary Garwacke.