For Immediate Release:

October 24, 2017  

 

County Employees Recognized for Floodplain Management Leadership

Sheriff’s OEM and County Division of Planning Employees to Receive Award

 

FREEHOLD, NJ – Joe Barris, Monmouth County Division of Planning Assistant Director and Margaret Murnane Brooks, Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Deputy Coordinator have been chosen as the recipients of the Floodplain Management Leadership Award by the New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM).

 

“The goal of floodplain management is to reduce the risk of flood damage and create a resilient community,” said Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the Sheriff’s Office and Planning Board. “These two dedicated professionals are representative of the outstanding efforts being made towards this goal every day by both the Sheriff’s OEM and the Division of Planning.”

 

The Award will be presented at the NJAFM Annual Conference on Thursday, Oct. 26 in Atlantic City.

 

“Both of these individuals and their divisions deserve this award and recognition,” said Freeholder Serena DiMaso, Esq., liaison to the Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management and a freeholder representative on the County’s Planning Board. “After Superstorm Sandy, the Sheriff’s OEM and the Division of Planning have worked untiringly on floodplain management, including the County’s Community Rating System Assistance Program and the High Water Mark initiative, which promotes flood risk awareness.”

 

The Floodplain Management Leadership Award recognizes individuals, other than local officials, who have achieved success in a significant aspect of floodplain management. These efforts include, but are not limited to, education, government, policy, research, litigation, outreach, implementation or other actions which demonstrate the advancement of flood loss reduction within the nominee’s professional realm.

 

“As we close in on the 5th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, I’m proud to say the efforts of both Emergency Management and the Planning Board have made a difference in flood risk awareness and that Monmouth County’s Community Rating System Assistance Program has helped save the taxpayers of Monmouth County over $1.6 million dollars in annual flood insurance premiums. This is up over $600,000 since the program was launched in 2013,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden, who oversees the Office of Emergency Management. “I’m thankful that NJAFM has recognized the efforts of the County.”

 

Every year, NJAFM honors those who have made exemplary contributions to floodplain management in New Jersey.

 

According to the NJAFM, they are a statewide organization of more than 400 members and a chapter of the national Association of State Floodplain Managers, a respected voice in floodplain management practice and policy in the United States.

 

For more information on Monmouth County’s floodplain management, the Community Rating System Assistance Program and the High Water Mark initiative, go to www.VisitMonmouth.com.

 

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