A home destroyed during the landfall of Superstorm Sandy is pictured in Mantoloking, New Jersey March 22, 2013.  Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

reuters.com - by Barbara Liston - September 24, 2013

(Reuters) - More than a million homeowners living in older houses along the coastlines and riverbanks of the United States are being jolted by federal flood insurance rate hikes under a law passed in the wake of devastating storms.

Carol Giovannoni, 51, of St. Pete Beach, a barrier island community off Florida's west coast, is one of the people dreading October 1, when the law takes effect. Giovannoni said the annual flood insurance premium on her standard 1950s concrete-block, ranch-style home on the waterfront will jump from $1,700 to $15,000 over the next few years.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012

nysandyhelp.ny.gov

Through the Community Reconstruction Zone
(CRZ) Program, New York State is assisting communities
to rebuild better and safer based on community-
driven plans that consider current damage,
future threats to community assets, and the community’s
economic future. In keeping with the National
Disaster Recovery Framework, CRZ Plans will consider
the needs, risks, and opportunities related to
assets in the following categories of recovery support
functions: Community Planning and Capacity
Building, Economic Development, Health and Social
Services, Housing, Infrastructure, and Natural and
Cultural Resources.

By completing a successful Plan, each participating
community will position itself to obtain funding to
implement that Plan to improve the community’s
future.

NY - Recovery Resources Center

Guidance for Community Reconstruction Zone Plans -
A Planning Toolkit for CRZ Planning Committees
(81 page .PDF report)

homelandsecuritynewswire.com - July 19, 2013

A Sandia National Laboratories team is gearing up for hurricane season, readying analyses to help people in the eye of a storm. The team has two jobs: conducting annual “hurricane swath” analyses of probable impacts on the Gulf Coast and East Coast, and providing quick analyses of crisis response in the face of an imminent hurricane threat to the United States. A swath analysis looks at how a hurricane might interrupt critical services and at impacts to infrastructure specific to an area, such as petroleum and petrochemical industries in Houston or financial services in New York City. It also looks at such things as the economic impact of the storm or how it could upset food deliveries.

inhabitat.com - by Yuka Yoneda - July 12, 2013

It's already hurricane season - would you be ready if another Superstorm Sandy hit today? If you hesitated for a moment, you might be one of the many who meant to prepare for the next big storm but then just got sucked into the daily grind and forgot. The good news is that there's still time to gather up the essentials so that you'll be ahead of the game for the next hurricane instead of having to fight some lady for the last pack of batteries at Duane Reade. Read on for the 12 important items you should have at home in case of an emergency situation like a serious storm or other natural disaster. . .

submitted by Michael Kraft

communities.firstresponder.gov

Lessons Learned: Social Media and Hurricane Sandy
(39 PAGE .pdf FILE)

(FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS - CLICK ON THE HEADLINE, OR "READ MORE")

njspotlight.com - by Colleen O'Dea - March 15, 2013

What is My Base Flood Elevation (BFE)? Address Lookup Tool

(Formerly What is My ABFE?)

The interactive 'What is My BFE?' tool below can help you compare the current effective and the best available flood hazard data for your property (See disclaimer below).  Get information for your property in three easy steps:

1.    Enter your address into the field below and click the “Get Details” button.
***Internet Explorer users: You must click 'No' if a security warning pop up window appears on your screen in order for the report to display correctly after clicking the "Get Details" button.*** 

huffingtonpost.com - June 9, 2013 - Katie Zezima and Meghan Barr

MANTOLOKING, NJ - MAY 15: A beach front home damaged by Superstorm Sandy is tagged to be torn down and hauled off, May 15, 2013 in Manotoloking, New Jersey. Mantoloking officials say that at least 50 homes are scheduled to be demolished in the up coming weeks. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

George Kasimos has almost finished repairing flood damage to his waterfront home, but his Superstorm Sandy nightmare is far from over. ...

That's because the federal government's newly released advisory flood maps have put his Toms River home in the most vulnerable area – the "velocity zone." If that sticks, he'd have to jack his house up 14 feet on stilts at a cost of $150,000 or face up to $30,000 a year in flood insurance premiums....

For many, it's an impossible choice. They can't afford to do either. And many unanswered questions have left residents paralyzed with indecision....

A surge of seawater floods New York City streets during Superstorm Sandy, October 2012. 
Photograph by Bebeto Matthews, AP Photo

nationalgeographic.com - by Tim Folger - June 12, 2013

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement yesterday of a $19.5 billion, multidecade plan to defend New York City against rising seas and severe storms illustrated two truths that resonate far beyond his home city.

First, as the time when we could prevent dangerous climate change slips away, the time for costly investments to protect ourselves has arrived. Second, for some cities, less well situated or less wealthy than New York, protection is going to be extremely challenging—and in some cases perhaps impossible.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

What was left of a home in the Good Luck Point section of Bayville, New Jersey after the storm.  Credit PatriciaA.Miller

submitted by Albert Gomez

berkeley-nj.patch.com - by Daniel Nee - June 11, 2013

Jersey Shore residents placed into the dreaded 'V' zone in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's advisory flood maps released in late 2012 may soon see some relief, if an updated round of maps released for New York City residents is any indication.

The federal agency released preliminary flood maps – generally, the second-to-last step before final maps are issued – on Monday.

According to a report by WNYC radio, major swaths of coastal land were removed from the 'V,' or velocity, zone there.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

View Best Available Flood Hazard Data for New Jersey and New York

mycentraljersey.com - by Ken Serrano - May 31, 2013

FEMA will post searchable versions on its website soon

Sandy victims left hanging by what many have termed FEMA’s confusing and unfair preliminary flood maps will likely have final answers in the coming weeks.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency plans to post searchable maps on its website for homeowners to use to determine their true flood zone and how high they may need to raise their homes to qualify for the best flood insurance rates. Barring any successful challenges, that information will eventually set flood insurance premiums, which won’t go into effect for another 18 months.

FEMA’s working flood maps will be rolled out to coastal counties one by one in mid- to late-June, said Bill McDonnell, the mitigation branch director for FEMA’s Region II, which covers New Jersey.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

submitted by Jill Cornell

Sandy Regional Assembly - April 2013

A coalition of environmental groups made recommendations this week on how to more effectively allocate Sandy funding.

The Grassroots Recovery Agenda was unveiled by the Sandy Regional Assembly, a consortium of nearly 200 environmental groups from New York City and the surrounding area.

The agenda calls for the integration of regional building efforts with resiliency priorities, the strengthening of vulnerable communities and an expanded view of community-based climate change planning.

Sandy Regional Assembly - Recovery Agenda (16 page .PDF file)

Sandy Regional Assembly recommends Grassroots Recovery Agenda - News Video and Article - bronx.news12.com

wasterecyclingnews.com - May 17, 2013

By having the Ocean County Landfill within its limits, Manchester Township, N.J., is cashing in on Hurricane Sandy.

After receiving less than $900,000 in landfill fees in all of 2012, the township has already received more than $1.8 million in 2013 thanks to a "dramatic increase" in waste in the aftermath of Sandy, according to a report from The Asbury Park Press. The township receives $4.50 of the $81 tipping fee for every ton landfilled at the 600-acre facility, which is operated by the county and owned by the Ocean County Landfill Corp.

"It's not something that we are celebrating," Mayor Michael Fressola told the newspaper. "My heart still goes out to those who lost everything during the storm. We all hope that we never see a storm like that again."

According to county records, a typical month would see 36,000 tons of waste landfilled at the site. In the months after Sandy, the landfill took in 180,000 tons – five times the average.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

submitted by Bill Sothern - May 29, 2013

A new ABC news program called the Lookout debuts tonight (at 10pm) and features a segment examining the sometimes dubious practices of mold inspectors and contractors as they conduct an inspection of a high-end suburban NJ home.  Myself and Prof. Richard Shaughnessy of U. of Tulsa provide the play by play and color commentary (no scripts, no rehearsals) while the hidden cameras capture the diverse conclusions of the good guys and bad guys as they present their findings and recommendations to the homeowner.

(CLICK HERE - ABC LIVE STREAM)