As flood risk increases, the federal government and insurance industry put New Jersey on notice

New Jersey’s recent State of Emergency due to flash flooding with the unfortunate loss of life and the tragic flooding in Texas offer a stark reminder of how devastating flooding can be to families, communities, and local economies. New Jersey communities have also suffered from costly flooding over the past several years, and the risk of future flooding is increasing.

The beginning of the hurricane season creates an imperative for elected officials in flood prone New Jersey communities to turn their attention to addressing this growing risk. To start, we all need to face some indisputable facts:

• The risk of more frequent, more severe flooding in New Jersey is increasing.
• The costs in terms of human lives, property damage, property values, and local economies are also on the rise.
• The insurance industry is responding to this increased risk by raising premiums, reducing coverage, or pulling out of high-risk markets altogether.
• This year, the federal government has drastically cut budgets for storm monitoring and alert systems, for disaster recovery assistance, and for environmental regulations and programs that help manage and reduce stormwater runoff.

The federal government and insurance industry are putting us all on notice: when it comes to preventing flooding and dealing with its aftermath, New Jersey and other states are pretty much on their own. This puts more responsibility in the hands of state and local policymakers to pick up the slack.

United we are resilient, divided we are vulnerable

Unfortunately, the partisan extremism that has led to the slashing of federal protections and programs threatens to make New Jersey more vulnerable to flood risks and associated costs. But floodwaters don’t distinguish between political or cultural groups.

When it comes to flood risk, we must join together to protect our communities and main street businesses.

Fortunately, our state government has already had the foresight to enact a number of laws and regulations designed to address this growing threat.

Passed in 2019, the Clean Stormwater and Flood Reduction Law authorizes local and county governments to create stormwater utilities. Municipalities can use the funds generated from these utilities to improve infrastructure that protects water quality and prevents flooding in our communities. New Brunswick and Raritan Township have recently taken the initiative to implement stormwater utilities.

The 2024 Flood Risk Notification Law requires property owners and landlords to disclose information related to flood hazards to potential buyers or renters before completing a real estate transaction.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has proposed updating land resource protection rules to help businesses and communities become more resilient to sea-level rise, flooding, and superstorms. The rules will streamline permitting processes and expedite resilient investments in New Jersey’s communities and economy.

These proactive policies have served to incentivize innovation, investment, and the creation of a growing market for sustainable water management practices. Businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations have been developing and implementing green stormwater infrastructure and other technological innovations that can help local communities and businesses become more resilient and sustainable.

“New Jersey Strong”

If necessity breeds self-reliance, then all New Jerseyans now have a greater need to understand what we can do together to make our towns and businesses more resilient. Implementing green infrastructure will help reduce stormwater runoff.

Implementing stormwater utilities will raise dedicated funding for communities to invest in stormwater management infrastructure. Implementing New Jersey Protecting Against Climate Threats – Resilient Environments and Landscapes (NJPACT REAL) land use rules will prevent us from making the costly mistake of building in flood-prone areas.

While the risk is real and growing, so is the opportunity. When we pulled together to recover from the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, “New Jersey Strong” became the slogan that united us. Now it’s time to revive that same spirit to do what we can to prevent the worst of what flooding can do to all of us.

Let’s pull together and make greater use of the tools we already have to continue making New Jersey a great place to live and work.