SAYREVILLE — The borough hired mitigation expert Jeffrey S. Ward to handle the mitigation and acquisition process for residents affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Ward, president of Jeffrey S. Ward and Associates in Virginia, is a nationally certified floodplain manager who has worked in mitigation for 12 years. He has worked in affected areas after several U.S. weather disasters, including Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Texas after multiple hurricanes.
“I have presided over 5,000 property acquisitions with FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency],” Ward said at a Jan. 8 meeting with residents who indicated their interest in mitigation. “I have worked on most major disasters in the United States.”
Ward’s company also writes hazard mitigation plans for towns and states. He analyzed and developed the home mitigation hazard plan three years ago for the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. He also worked on hazard identification plans for five New Jersey counties, including Middlesex.
“I’m very familiar with New Jersey,” Ward said. “I do lots of different projects, but my primary focus is acquisition.”
At the Jan. 8 meeting, Ward detailed the buyout process, which he refers to as acquisition, for residents in affected areas who are interested in the options available to them. He addressed multiple residents’ concerns about meeting eligibility requirements and how the value of a home — essential to the buyout process — will be determined.
“The buyout is offered based on the preflood property value, what it was worth the day before the event,” Ward said. “The number will come from the fair market appraisal from a state-certified appraiser; he’s not a borough employee or a Jeffrey S. Ward and Associates employee.”
Ward added that residents should not expect to receive more than the market value of their home.
“You’ll never exceed the preflood value of your property,” Ward said.
He also clarified that a buyout is based not on individual homes, but on a collective application that proves the cost to repair the homes would be more expensive than an acquisition. Some homes need to prove the cost to repair their home will cost more than a buyout would — a cost-benefit analysis. The exception is a home that is considered substantially damaged, which would cost 50 percent or more of the fair market value to repair. Whether a house is substantially damaged is determined by Sayreville Director of Code Enforcement Kirk Miick. If a home is determined to be substantially damaged, it is not required to prove that the repairs to the home are cost-effective.
“You will be eligible for inclusion [in the acquisition], regardless of whether or not you’re cost-effective,” Ward said.
While the process will take one year at conservative estimates, Ward said that the time span from FEMA approval to closure on the property can be as quick as 90 days, and homes are required to be demolished within 90 days of closure.
“I will support every part of the process, from selecting an appraiser to closing, and everything in between,” Ward said.