Household items ruined by flooding caused by superstorm Sandy are set out at the curb for pickup along Atlantic Avenue in Long Branch. KENNY WALTER LONG BRANCH — City officials are planning zoning changes that would help prevent future flood damage like that sustained from superstorm Sandy.
“Our zoning and planning and building personnel are discussing a potential ordinance change to present to council for their consideration that would allow people that are located within the designated FEMA flood zone to raise their house above the base flood elevation,” said Kevin Hayes, director of the city’s department of building and development, in a Dec. 3 interview,
The changes being planned would allow residents in flood zones, particularly the area north of Atlantic Avenue, to elevate their homes above the level of the flood plain.
According to Hayes, the aim is to allow homeowners to raise their homes without having to apply for a variance from the city’s zoning board of adjustment.
“We are currently discussing a way to do that,” he said. “We are still in the planning stages of that but we have received several inquiries from residents that would like to raise their homes.
“We think it is a very good idea and we are trying to come up with a way to accommodate them,” he added.
Mayor Adam Schneider said while the city is looking at rezoning to allow residents to raise their homes, the flood-prone areas would not be drastically rezoned.
“These are all residential neighborhoods, so if there are any changes in the zoning it is going to be ways we can accommodate people and make their houses more stormproof,” he said. “We haven’t changed any ordinances yet, the goal is to encourage people to raise their houses.
“You can … bring your house up without concern about needing a height variance,” he added.
Hayes said the majority of the damage in the city from the Oct. 29 storm was in the northern part of town where Branchport Creek and Trautman’s Creek flooded.
“The majority of the buildings in that area suffered flood damage,” he said. “Most of it [involves] the replacement of floors and dry walls, insulation and electrical [wiring].
“Some houses had a few inches to a few feet of water in them. A lot of furnaces and heating units were damaged.”
In total, Hayes said approximately 800 buildings in the city suffered some form of damage from the storm from flooding, wind or downed trees.
In a Nov. 30 interview, Schneider explained the extent of the damage sustained.
“Everything to the north of Atlantic Avenue was under siege,” he said. “Not every house got water in it but that’s where the most severe damage was.
“Most of what we’re talking about is basement, first floor damage,” he added.
Schneider said some of the streets hardest-hit include Florence, Patten, North 5th and North 6th avenues.
Hayes said the properties are not scheduled for demolition.
“The overwhelming majority are salvageable,” he said. “I’m not aware at this point of any buildings that would be considered a total loss.”
Among the properties sustained flood damage are: the Family & Children’s Service Thrift Boutique on Branchport Avenue; the ARC of Monmouth’s Work Opportunity Center on Warburton Avenue; and Branchport Hose Co. No. 3 on Branchport Avenue.
Hayes, who also serves as the city’s fire marshal, said the floodwaters made their way into the firehouse building.
Schneider noted that the newer developments along the coast, including Pier Village, withstood the storm better than the older residential areas of the city.
“The neighborhoods we just described are more older family residences and Pier Village was designed with a major storm in mind,” Schneider said. “They came through the most significant storm to hit this area with relatively minor damage to the extent that we can encourage people to use those design ideas.”
According to Schneider, the city is also taking measures to educate the public on emergency management for future storms.
“These storms are just so much more common now; we had three major storms in the last two years,” he said.
“We were sending out fire safety tips because how many people were cold and didn’t know how to set up a generator or turned on the stove or the oven to try to heat themselves.”