Newest FEMA Flood Elevation Maps Posted

Thousands of homeowners who've been in limbo over whether to rebuild...and how much it will cost...are getting clarity they've sought since December.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)'s revised base flood elevation maps are viewable now on their web site. You can link to it here.

Brick Township Mayor Steve Acropolis was among the first to find out and take a look. He expects many hundreds of homeowners to breathe a sigh of relief to find that the storm velocity zones (V-zones) have been reduced, and the less-vulnerable A-zones have been expanded.

"Of [the township's} 4,000 V-zone people," he says, "I was thinking maybe 3,000 or so were 'marginal' V-zone people. Those people have been waiting since December to find out if they were going to stay in a velocity zone or go back to an A-zone. Now they know."

For many, he says, it means avoiding demolition, restoring, and placing on block foundations instead of pilings.

For Acropolis, it's just "one part of the war. We've made a little inroad, but the war still is to look at elevations...to look at the 10,000 or 12,000 people in Ocean County who have to pay for flood insurance and never had to pay for it before."

He's also questioning why some who sustained no storm damage are being required to elevate their houses.

When you visit the page, enter the portal with the heading "What's My Base Flood Elevation."