BRICK – Township residents recently came to a special information session about flood conditions within the community.
The forum was held at the Mantoloking Road Playhouse and information was presented regarding flood risks, local mitigation efforts, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the township’s participation in the Community Rating System (CRS).
Municipal professional staff were present such as Township Planner Affordable Housing Administrator Tara B. Paxton and Municipal Engineer & Floodplain Manager Elissa C. Commins to discuss flood prevention, insurance options, and strategies to help reduce premiums.
People came in on first come first serve basis to sit down with a staff representative who would look up their property’s flood plain history and make some recommendations.
“We have sewers down the street,” one resident remarked.
“Do you have flood insurance?” the staffer asked.
“The issue is looking at the map with the wetlands and the flood conditions and what the town is doing. I have lived here since 1961 and I lived in Manasquan before that. I’ve seen a lot of things change in this town – a lot of good things and a lot of bad things. I think the mayor is doing a good job with what she has to work with,” said resident Robert Lee, who lives in the Baywood section of the township.
“I speak highly of Brick, my children were born and raised here. The town owns a piece of property at the end of my street and it is not bulk headed. It is wetlands and when there is a north east storm, we get two feet of water that comes in,” Lee added. He came to the forum with his wife Eleanor.
Lee noted, “it covers a fire hydrant and when we get a south east storm it covers the storm sewer and we try to get something done there to not avail. My concern is now with all this flooding that is taking place in Texas and North Carolina, I’d like to see some kind of barrier there. Some of these people come flying down and their cars get stuck in two feet of water.”
“They can be washed into the lagoon and into the bay,” Lee added. “I’d like to see if the town could put up a snow fence temporarily and a living fence of some sort. That is why I am here tonight. I have been to all the meetings and right now it is a big ‘no.’”
“We have the wetlands, what about the people lands? Take that property and turn it into something and improve the wetlands. Put a small berm in there from keeping the tide from coming in. Even a snow fence to keep something from going out and not so much coming in now. They must have a roll of snow fence or even the state,” Lee recommended.
Recalling Superstorm Sandy, he said he had four feet of water.
Mayor Lisa Crate attended the forum. “I consider this to be a really important evening for residents because it’s a chance for them to hear important information about local flood risks, insurance options and what the Township has been working on when it comes to emergency preparedness.”
“Brick Township has the most waterfront property in the entire state of New Jersey, so any time we can have our experts speak directly to the public and answer questions they may have is a win for our residents,” the mayor added.
She noted that the forum “is also a great way to inform residents about how they can protect their properties and take proactive steps toward safety and resilience in our many flood-prone areas. Kudos to Tara Paxton and Elissa Commins for working so hard to present this information to our community.”
Paxton noted that the township participates in a National Flood Insurance Program “and when you participate in it our residents get a discount. We are currently a Class VI which is a 20% discount on their flood insurance premiums which is great.”
The NFIP puts out a list of best practices. As towns perform certain actions, they earn more points. Their reward is that their residents get discounts on their flood insurance.
“We actually have enough points thanks to our Flood Plain Management Committee to be a V. That would mean a 25% discount but (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) hasn’t had enough staff to roll over our price,” she added.
The uncertain status of FEMA due to the current administration is being closely monitored. “We don’t know yet. We are at the status quo and we are moving forward with how we do everything,” Paxton said.
Paxton said, “we review the flood management plain every year and it identifies problem areas in the community such as flooding and we’ve been fixing flood vents, stormwater management systems, updating bulkheads and looking at ways to improve emergency access and it helps keep us on target and the interests of the public in mind.”
After the session concluded, a National Geographic documentary “Before The Flood” was screened. The film, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, explored the global impact of climate change and offers practical solutions for flood prone communities like Brick Township.
