Cape May County Flood Maps Expected Within a Month

The release of updated flood maps for four New Jersey counties has left Cape May County residents wondering when they will find out the latest on their new flood zones.

Residents of Ocean, Atlantic, Monmouth and Hudson counties saw the release of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's preliminary working flood maps on Monday. The updated maps scaled back the number of residents in 'V,' or velocity, flood zones by more than half in many cases.

There is no exact date set for Cape May County to receive its new maps. For now, county residents must rely on FEMA's advisory maps, which were released in late 2012. Those maps were "intentionally" conservative and placed more areas in 'V' zones than necessary, said Bill McDonnell, FEMA's mitigation branch director for New Jersey.

McDonnell said the next two counties to receive updated maps will be Cumberland and Salem. After they are released, Middlesex, Essex, Union and Cape May counties will receive them.

FEMA officials have said the maps are tentatively expected within a month.

Coastal areas prone to flooding are generally divided between 'A' and 'V' zones. Those in 'A' zones may elevate or build structures using block foundations, while those in 'V' zones must account for the potential for flowing water to impact their homes by raising them on pilings, which are more costly than block foundations. Flood insurance is also significantly more expensive for residents whose homes are located in the 'V' zones.

"These new maps drastically reduce – by over half in some towns – the number of properties in the V zone, and will give homeowners the certainty they need to rebuild stronger than ever and will help thousands avoid having to make prohibitively expensive modifications," said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez in a statement to Patch Tuesday.

"Now I call on FEMA to expedite the release of all additional work maps under development in New Jersey," Menendez said.

Coastal residents can find general information on flood maps, plus updated maps for those who live in areas where they have been released, at FEMA's region two website.