Skip to main content

Pallone, Lautenberg, Menendez Announce More Than $3.3 Million in Federal Funding to Purchase Flood-Prone Homes in Ocean Township

September 20, 2012

WASHINGTON DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced that Ocean Township in Monmouth County will receive more than $3.3 million in federal funding for voluntary home buyouts in Poplar Village, a flood-prone housing complex for senior citizens. The funding was awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Flood Mitigation Assistance Program.

The apartment complex has been affected five times by floodwaters since it was built in 1970. During Hurricane Irene, water crested over a 4-foot-high berm. The FEMA grant will be used to acquire and demolish eight sections of Poplar Village, which includes 32 residences. Once the affected complexes are demolished, the area will be restored to its natural environment.

“This critical federal funding will enable the seniors living in this housing complex in Ocean Township to move to safer locations so they are relieved of the concern of frequent flood damage,” said Pallone. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect flood mitigation programs so our communities, like Poplar Village in Ocean Township, are protected.”

“This federal funding will help New Jersey seniors living in a flood prone neighborhood move out of harm’s way,” said Senator Lautenberg, Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, which funds FEMA. “New Jersey has been battered by Hurricane Irene and other storms in recent years and this federal grant will prevent future damage and create needed open space. We will continue to fight for disaster relief funding programs to help protect New Jerseyans from dangerous and costly flooding.”

“Every year, seniors living in the flood prone area of Ocean Township face the painful consequences of flood damage,” said Menendez. “This funding will help them relocate to safer neighborhoods by allowing for the purchase of their properties. As we work toward long term solutions to the chronic flooding that affects our state, we must do all we can to keep our residents safe.”

Contact:
Ray Zaccaro/Allison Bormel
202-225-4671

Issues:New Jersey