April 24, 2024 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Blue Acres buyout funding for an additional 37 properties, following the first batch approval for fourteen properties in January, as part of the $50 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) allocation for voluntary buyouts in New Jersey. Many of these 37 homes were impacted by severe flooding in April 2022, December 2023 and/or January 2024, in addition to damages sustained during Ida in 2021. Blue Acres staff notified the owners of these 37 properties immediately via phone calls, emails, and certified mail. Blue Acres also assigned case managers to begin guiding the homeowners through the steps to receive a formal buyout offer. This second batch approval brings the total of obligated post-Ida HMGP funds to $23.6 million. Sixty-three properties remain under review and Blue Acres notified these homeowners that while the wait for approval continues, program staff are ready to hit the road running as soon as the approval is issued by FEMA.  

Blue Acres is a voluntary buyout program that only works with willing sellers. The buyout process remains fully voluntary from application to closing day.  

All properties proposed for HMGP funding meet State and FEMA criteria for reducing flood hazard risks to life and property. Among the priority categories represented by the 37 homes in Batch 2: 

• All 37 homes are in a FEMA-mapped floodplain, with a greater than 1% chance annually of flood inundation; 
  • 17 of these are directly within the regulatory floodway (this means the home sits in the channel of a river or watercourse, within the area of direct hydrological flow or in the adjacent buffer area reserved to reduce flood volume during a significant storm event);
• 15 homes were declared substantially damaged (SD), meaning calculated damages equated to at least 50% of the structure’s value; 
• 26 homes are designated as “repetitive loss” or “severe repetitive loss,” based on the number of flood insurance payouts they have received over time from the FEMA National Flood Insurance Program;  
• 16 homes are in CDC-identified socially vulnerable communities; and 
• 11 homes are in state-identified Overburdened Communities (OBC).

New Jersey continues to see record precipitation, with March 2024 being the third wettest on record, following the fourth wettest winter during the 2023-2024 season.  As the frequency and intensity of floods are anticipated to rise, Blue Acres continues to help New Jersey residents relocate from flood-prone homes, helping communities increase flood resilience through strategic floodplain acquisition and restoration. Blue Acres remains an entirely voluntary program, and always accepts buyout applications from interested homeowners. For more information, reach out to the Blue Acres team via phone (609-940-4140) or email (blueacres@njdepwptest.net), and keep an eye on the Blue Acres website for future program updates.