For Immediate Release:
October 15, 2015
County honors towns participating in CRS Program
FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored 12 Monmouth County towns that are successfully participating in the County’s Community Rating System (CRS) Assistance Program at their workshop meeting on Oct. 8.
Certificates of Recognition were presented to CRS Coordinators of the 12 Monmouth County towns that are part of the CRS program. The towns are: Aberdeen, Avon by the Sea, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Hazlet, Keansburg, Manasquan, Middletown, Neptune Township, Oceanport, Spring Lake and Union Beach.
See photos of all of the recipients here.
“To see the money that is saved through a program that stemmed from a way to help our residents recover from a horrible storm is incredible,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso, liaison to the County’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). “I know, on a personal level, the benefits of this program and what it means to the communities.”
The County’s Division of Planning joined with the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management to create the CRS Assistance Program.
“By combining knowledge and resources, Planning and OEM have been able to provide support and education to municipalities and County residents that will help them to be prepared for future emergency situations,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Division of Planning. “This program has tangible results which include lower flood premiums for homeowners and businesses.”
To date, Statewide, the CRS program has saved businesses and residents nearly $27 million.
“I am proud of each town that has gone above and beyond the national flood insurance requirements to join the CRS program,” said Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden. “OEM does an exceptional job of helping not only these 12 towns, but the entire community, and the CRS Assistance Program, done in collaboration with the Division of Planning, is another example of that.”
By participating in the program, a town can earn CRS points that can be used to lower the flood insurance premiums for homeowners and businesses located within designated flood hazard areas.
Monmouth County created the CRS Assistance Program early in 2014 to provide assistance to municipalities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) CRS. The NFIP administers the CRS which scores towns on their effectiveness in dealing with the mitigation of flood hazard events.
Providing towns with mapping services was particularly important, as the County was able to create open space and base flood elevation Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map templates so that CRS maps required for one town could easily be replicated for other towns. As this project falls under the Monmouth County Planning Division’s organizational mission, there was no additional cost incurred to provide these services to municipalities.
When a municipality applies and is accepted into the CRS program, flood insurance premiums for residents and businesses located in special flood hazard areas can be reduced.
For a complete list of guidelines please visit the Monmouth County Division of Planning section of the County website at www.visitmonmouth.com.
Residents having questions or needing additional information about CRS should contact their local Floodplain Administrator through their municipal office.
Towns interested in joining the Monmouth County CRS Assistance Program should contact the Monmouth County Division of Planning at 732-431-7460.
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