BOROUGH OF STONE HARBOR
2015 Floodplain Management Annual Progress Report
In October of 2013 the Borough of Stone Harbor completed its five year cycle update for the National Flood Insurance Program’s NIFP) Community Rating System which scores communities on their effective flood mitigation practices. Stone Harbor received notification that would be advancing from a “Class 7” to a “Class 5” which increases flood insurance discounts for property owners from 15 percent to 25 percent effective in 2014. The borough has taken major and significant steps before and after Hurricane Sandy to improve storm mitigation efforts throughout the community. In 2013, Stone Harbor took steps to improve building elevations to reflect the new flood maps issued for the Jersey Shore from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Borough achieved points in 16 different CRS point categories, including Elevation Certifications, Drainage System Maintenance, Flood Warning Program, Open Space Preservation, Outreach and Higher Regulator Standards, among others.
The following lists of both completed and ongoing activities highlight the Boroughs progress in regard to the Flood Management Plan’s goals.
- Upgrade Outfall Pipes: The Borough has completed Phase 1 and 2 of the Storm/Sewer/Beach Outfall elimination project. This upgrade increased the capacity of the pipes to carry storm water to the Back Bay areas as well as provided a more efficient method to clean the water of oils, trash etc. resulting in cleaner water and reducing the risk of flooding due to blocked pipes. The project will eliminate pipes on the beach at 93rd and 97th Streets and increase drainage from 90th through 99th Streets. The project will manifold the storm drain pipes along First Avenue and redirect the storm water to the back bays along 97th Street. The Phase 3 project was delayed a year due to the need for modifications to the design and approval from CAFRA on the changes. Phase 3 began on September 21, 2015and the completion date is scheduled for April of 2016. As an important part of flood mitigation this project involved the installation of underground storage recharge chambers at each street-end (83rd Street to 89th Street). The purpose of these recharge chambers is to collect surface run off and store it underground. The recharge chambers will then allow the water to infiltrate into the ground. As the underground system fills, a portion of the collected water will flow into the new storm drain and flow to the bay. The Borough is in the conceptual design phase for the 111th Street Beach Outfall improvement project which will include drainage improvements to 111th and Second Avenue.
- Improve Existing Drainage Pipes: The Borough has been reconstructing roadways (non-Outfall Program streets) as part of the Borough’s annual capital improvement plan. As the roadways are evaluated and designed, all necessary storm water improvements are made in the construction contract. These improvements consist of increasing the hydraulic capacity of the existing facilities and installing new pipes and inlets when needed.
The County is continuing their preliminary engineering for drainage improvements on various portions of Third Avenue. The Borough has recently met with the County to discuss areas deemed in need of upgrades to reduce the frequency of flooding.
- Improve Emergency Notifications for Flooding: The Borough continues to utilize the Code Red to maintain a “reverse 911” system. This system allows the Borough to notify every residence that a flood or major storm is coming with 15 minutes of implementation. The system was utilized on July 4th, 2015 and worked as planned. Our phone system and flood sirens are tested daily at noon. In 2012 the Borough was able to put a logo for Code red on our front page. By clicking this logo residents are now able to fill in their information online and are automatically entered into the system. By signing up for Code Red residents will be able to receive all emergency notifications including flood and hurricane warnings. Residents can receive notifications by landline, cell phone and emails. A press release was sent to all media outlets and posted to our website. We have utilized the Code red system for flood warnings four times in 2015. We currently have 3249 in our community notification list. Since adding the new online feature we have added 649 new contacts.
The Borough continues to utilize the television public access notification system with its two neighboring communities. The public access channel is used to encourage homeowners to get flood insurance, raise their houses, etc. along with other public service announcements. During a storm the channel will be used to advise residents what to do, escape routes, etc. This is tied to our current voice warning systems and telephone warning systems. These systems will direct residents to tune to Channel 97 on their TV’s to listen to longer directions and announcements. The system is currently in service.
The Borough had spent recently $30,000 for an AM emergency broadcast system. The channel given to us by the FCC is 1670 on the AM band. During non-emergency periods of time the Borough will broadcast the NOAA weather forecast and other community information including flood mitigation. During a State of Emergency we will broadcast instructions on what to do. The Borough realized last year that we had lost communication with our residents when the telephone, television and internet cables were all destroyed. In the event this occurs again there will be signs throughout the community that will flash by remote control when people should tune to 1670 for emergency instructions.
- Atlantic Coastal Coalition: The Borough is a participating member in this group which consists of New Jersey waterfront communities that meet monthly to discuss common municipal issues. Formed in response to Superstorm Sandy, we have met regularly since January 2013. Meetings are usually held on the first Thursday of the month at the Ventnor City Library, located at 6500 Atlantic Avenue, Second Floor, at 11:00 AM. The mission of the Coalition is to build more resilient communities at the Jersey Shore by developing policies and practices that will anticipate future concerns to build solutions to be shared by all participating members.
- Hazard Mitigation Plan: The Borough is working with the County of Cape May to update our Plan for 2016. Staff attended a meeting on September 17, 2015 to go over the next steps to be taken. We will be submitting completed worksheets to County within 30 days. A webinar will be held in two weeks. An additional seminar will be held by FEMA in November. The new Hazard Mitigation Plan will present new/revised objectives related to floodplain management and will be the focus of all future Flood Plan Management Progress reports. To view working drafts and give comments please contact the Borough Administrator in Borough Hall at 9508 Second Avenue, Stone Harbor, NJ 08205
