If your home or business incurred damage, the Engineering Department will need to determine if your structure has been substantially damaged. Substantially damaged means the cost to make your necessary repairs will meet or exceed 50% of the value of the structure. In Brick Township, we use the assessed value to make that determination.
For example:
A house assessed at $100,000.00 damaged by flood, wind, fire, etc., would be considered “substantially damaged if the cost to repair the structure was more than $49,999.99.
Note: -The cost to repair the structure is utilized. NOT the cost of repairs. That is, the determination is made assuming that you must hire someone to complete your repairs. If you are executing repairs yourself, or happen to have a spare hot water heater at your disposal, no credit is given for decreased cost.
Houses located in a flood zone that are substantially damaged must be retrofitted as necessary to meet current flood ordinances and construction codes. This may involve:
Elevating the dwelling;
Eliminating Basements;
Raising the Crawl Space Elevation;
Installation of Flood Vents;
Elevating Mechanical Devices such as hot water heaters, furnaces, etc…
If your structure is substantially damaged, you may qualify for additional insurance money for the Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC).
A determination of substantial damage is made when you apply for permits to execute your repairs. A Flood Elevation Certificate will be required for any permit application in a flood zone.
As a result of magnitude of flooded properties resulting from Super Storm Sandy, the Engineering Department will issue determinations of substantial damage prior to individual permit application submissions.
The following information is required: a list of building damages (without contents) accompanied by an estimated cost of repairs; and an estimate of the square footage of the inundated area, the depth of floodwater, and the floors effected, (e.g. crawlspace, finished basement, unfinished basement, first floor, sunken living area, etc..).
A Quick-Form is attached for reference.
A Flood Elevation Certificate is also recommended, but not required. If you have one available, or if your insurance agent has one on file, please provide a photocopy with your request.
Click here for an attachment of the Brick Township Substantially Damaged Structure Worksheet:
Toms River Township Important Information: For Property Owners with Substantial Damage to their Property from Super Storm Sandy. Please read both attached forms very carefully as you consider your options concerning rebuilding.
Click here for an attachment of the Toms River Township Substantially Damaged Structure Worksheet: http://www.tomsrivertownship.com/downloads/substancial-damage.pdf
Shore residents duel with state over FEMA’s new house elevation requirements
By Eugene Paik and Tom Wright-Piersanti/The Star-Ledger
It’s unfair. It’s unrealistic. It’s inaccurate.
Few people attending a public meeting in Long Branch last night had anything good to say about the state’s emergency adoption of a proposal that could force homeowners to raise the height of their homes.
The meeting, held by the Department of Environmental Protection, was the first and only showdown between the state and the public over the controversial issue.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is proposing new heights that would be considered safe for houses during floods. To meet those new standards, however, many homeowners are facing a tough choice: pay a small fortune to raise their houses, or pay a small fortune in flood insurance premiums.
“I think it’s a shame the DEP has not made a study to make sure those elevations are correct,” said Jim Fulcomer, 69, who owns a home on the South Seaside Park section of Berkeley Township.
“Has anyone seen three feet waves on Barnegat Bay?” he asked the crowd.
“No,” some people grumbled.
Last night’s hearing marked an initial skirmish in the battle against FEMA’s advisory base flood elevations, which could nearly double the number of homes in the most flood-vulnerable regions of the state.
Among the most affected properties would be homes along New Jersey’s barrier islands and the Raritan Bay. In communities such as the Ortley Beach section of Toms River and Union Beach, homes may need to be raised more than four feet.
The proposed elevations add more homes to areas called “A” zones, which are at risk for coastal flooding, and “V” zones, which are susceptible to high-velocity waves.
The problem for many homeowners is the price. They say it’s simply too expensive to raise their houses, which could cost between $40,000 and $80,000 for uncomplicated projects.
If they don’t raise them, their annual flood insurance premiums could cost as much as $31,000. That price drops to about $7,000 if the house meets minimum elevation requirements, according to Gov. Chris Christie.
About 60 people attended last night’s meeting, many questioning DEP officials about the accuracy and science of the elevations and blasting their sweeping nature.
The “V” zones were the biggest point of contention. Many said their homes, either on bays, lagoons or miles inland, would never see waves large or intense enough to warrant raising them.
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Margaret Quinn, of Toms River, told a trio of DEP officials that she didn’t understand why her house is on course to move to the “V” zone, which would force her to put her house on pilings. A project like that, she estimated, could cost upwards of $80,000.
“Living on a lagoon off a bay, we will never see waves of three feet,” she said. “You cannot put a square peg into a round hole, and that’s what we’re being asked to do.”
According to FEMA, the changes are needed to prevent a flood catastrophe similar to what happened during Sandy.
But the hurricane had little direct impact on the proposed elevations.
For two years, FEMA had been working on the advisory base flood elevations as part of a complete overhaul of the state’s maps for flood insurance rates, which hadn’t been updated in decades.
When Sandy obliterated New Jersey’s coastline last fall, FEMA released the proposed elevations in December to give rebuilding homeowners an idea of the changes that lie ahead.
The state became involved in the dispute early this year when Christie adopted FEMA’s elevations. The intention was to dispel confusion and offer guidance as homeowners rebuilt after Sandy.
The state order is already in effect, but only until March 21, said Ray Cantor, the DEP’s chief advisor to Commissioner Bob Martin. The department must decide whether to adopt the proposed elevations beyond that — for a period of seven years — using criteria such as scientific data and public comments, Cantor said.
“We need compassion from you folks,” said Kathy Serra, a homeowner from Lavallette, told DEP. “We’re not really feeling the love and we really need a bit of that.”
Anyone unable to attend last night’s meeting has until March 21 to submit written comments athttp://www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments.
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