Monmouth Superstorm Mitigation Estimates Top $1 Billion

More than $1,000,000,000 in hazard-mitigation requests related to Superstorm Sandy in Monmouth County communities are now in the hands of the New Jersy Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM), awaiting disposition.

Staffers in Monmouth's Office of Emergency Management under the direction of Sheriff Shaun Golden say they collected and delivered 185 letters of intent to NJOEM's Hazard Mitigation Unit March 31.

Submissions cover home elevations, property acquisitions, flood control measures, infrastructure improvements, emergency generators and related projects.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds long-term hazard mitigation after major disaster declarations for communities with approved Hazard Mitigation Plans. Monmouth's plan envelops all 53 communities and was approved in 2009.

The submission is the next step in a process that began in mid-December with collection of letters of intent from local governing bodies.

"We now must wait to hear from the state mitigation office as to how they intend to prioritize and fund these projects," says Monmouth OEM Coordinator Mike Opegaard.