By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
Manville Borough Councilman Richard Onderko told the public during his committee report at Monday night’s meeting that he won a scholarship to attend a conference next week for the benefit of the town.
”I applied for a scholarship and I actually won it. I am going to be attending the New Jersey Association for Flood Plan Management Conference on Oct. 2 and 3 in Somerset. The conference looks very interesting and they have a full agenda with a lot of representatives from our state,” said Mr. Onderko.
This annual conference is intended for officials of different backgrounds, including engineers, planners, code officials, floodplain managers, emergency management officials and other professionals involved in floodplain management. The two-day annual conference is an excellent opportunity to network and exchange ideas while acquiring the latest technical knowledge and regulatory information regarding floodplain management.
”As a strong flood mitigation advocate for Manville while serving on council, I got notified via email from the New Jersey Association for Flood Plain Management concerning their upcoming 2012 annual conference. … I applied for membership in the association and I decided to apply for one of their 10 scholarships that waive the conference fees. I was very happy to be awarded one. I am excited to be attending the conference and representing my hometown,” he said.
”The purpose of this year’s NJAFM conference will highlight a wide variety of techniques, programs, and resources to help mitigate flood hazards in our community and address repetitive flood damages. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Breaking the Cycle’ and what better place to start than right here in Manville,” he said. “I believe it is imperative to communicate our urgent need for levee construction and keep an open mind to all ideas. Effective communication will be the keys to getting Manville the funding we deserve and I promise to do my best in that regard.”
”This year’s conference agenda has two interesting session topics. The first being flood mitigation through storm water management. The panel will offer ideas and examples of how the goals of flood mitigation can be achieved through storm water management efforts. These will include technical and regulatory innovations that consider both existing and future storm water management measures. The second topic of interest is concerning local actions to mitigate flood hazards. This panel will highlight flood mitigation actions and successful programs that can be implemented by residents and municipalities to mitigate the adverse impacts of future floods,” said Mr. Onderko.
According to the agenda for the conference, the flood hazard mitigation programs at the federal and state level provide a variety of options to prepare for and respond to flood events. However, local actions have the potential to provide more effective solutions to mitigate flood hazards, since community-based solutions often reflect better local knowledge of flood hazards, cost-effective approaches and resident support. This panel will highlight flood mitigation actions and successful programs that can be implemented by residents and municipalities to mitigate the adverse impacts of floods.
Some of the workshop sessions include Property Acquisition in the Floodplain; Elevating Structures above the Flood and Enhanced Flood Mitigation through the Community Rating.
Keynote speaker will be state Sen. Bob Smith from the 17th District and there will also be a Floodplain Management Town Hall. This is an open forum for conference attendees to engage in a dialog on a broad range of floodplain management issues, including “Breaking the Cycle” of repetitive flood damages. NJAFM representatives will be present to facilitate a discussion of topical issues and identify ideas, strategies, and priorities to support enhanced floodplain management in New Jersey.
Other issues being discussed are Flood Mitigation through Storm Water Management. Flood mitigation and storm water management have traditionally been considered to have different objectives or goals. This panel will explore the reasons for these differences and offer ideas and examples of how the goals of flood mitigation may be achieved through storm water management efforts. These will include both technical and regulatory innovations that consider both existing and future storm water management measures.
More topics include Maintenance and Enhancement of Existing Storm Water; Management Systems to Mitigate Flood Hazards; Enhanced Storm Water Management through Healthy Soil and Achieving Flood Mitigation through Storm Water Management.
NJAFM is a statewide organization of over 150 members. It is a chapter of the national Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM).
Mr. Onderko will take time off from his job to attend the conference.
”Attending events such as this one can lead to making new contacts and acquiring information that can benefit residents living in our flood zones today. At the Raritan River Sustainability Conference held this past June, I found out about the Community Rating System that FEMA encourages towns to participate in,” he said.
”Depending on our level of achievement in the rating system, homeowners will be given 5 to 45 percent reductions in flood insurance premiums.
”The National Flood Insurance Program has been recently overhauled by Congress and was signed by our president on July 6. I hope to learn more about the changes to the program at the conference and what the implications are for Manville homeowners who carry flood insurance. I will report my findings back to the public at the Oct. 15 council meeting.”

