Severe Flood Damage In Bloomfield? NJ ‘Blue Acres’ May Help

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield property owners who have seen severe flood damage are among the New Jerseyans who may be able to benefit from the state’s Blue Acres Program.

Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced that an additional $50 million in funds will be towards the Blue Acres Program, which buys flood-damaged or flood-prone homes at market price for demolition and turns the land into open air spaces usable for recreational purposes or wetland conservation.

According to Bloomfield town officials:

“The Blue Acres Program, which functions under the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), began in 2013 and has made offers on about 1,100 properties in 20 towns across the state. As of February, $200 million has been spent and about 700 houses have been demolished. The added $50 million in the Blue Acres program is the first phase of Gov. Murphy’s Ida recovery strategy which will use all available federal Ida disaster money to launch several programs over the coming months.”

Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia encouraged residents who live or work in flood-prone homes or businesses to look into the program.

“We know that the uptick we’ve seen in high-damage storms and hurricanes isn’t slowing down. We will see more storms and we will see more flooding,” Venezia said.

“What we want to see less of is the destruction of family homes and businesses and the upending of people’s lives,” Venezia said. “Now is the time for us to think proactively about how to minimize storm damage to our community.”

Bloomfield residents interested in applying can visit the NJDEP website to learn more information about the program: https://dep.nj.gov/blueacres/. Those who have questions or require assistance in submitting the application can contact the Bloomfield Engineering Department at (973) 680-4009.

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