Post-Sandy Development Efforts May Endanger New Jersey Residents
The New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) wrote a letter to the Governor, asking him to veto the bill given its “inconsistencies with building codes and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
[We are] greatly concerned that this legislation may very well result in noncompliant rebuilding, jeopardizing the eligibility of every New Jersey community to remain in the NFIP.”The Association of State Floodplain Managers, (ASFPM) has also written a letter to the Governor on behalf of its 35 State Chapters and more than 15,000 members urging him to veto the bill. The ASFPM makes a strong appeal to the Governor to block this attempt to allow risky construction along New Jersey’s coasts.
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This bill is just the tip of the (melting) iceberg when it comes to unwise use of federal disaster relief to rebuild in the garden state. New Jersey’s CDBG-DR action plan was critiqued by New Jersey Future, a nonprofit promoting responsible land management, for not adequately addressing flood risks tied to sea-level rise, as required by HUD. Yet HUD still approved New Jersey’s plan even though it did not address these issues.
Recovery Diva 
In my opinion, the entire flood management system is in disarray. Mitigation plans and projects are very difficult to complete and have approved. Local jurisdictions, in my experience, have no idea how to comply.
I think the folks at the Assoc. of State Floodplain Managers (www.floods.org) would agree with you.
They have been doing training programs and offer technical assistance since Sandy in NY and NJ.