New Jersey is using buyouts and barriers to battle flooding

New Jersey is using a mix of buyouts and barriers to tackle flooding in two vulnerable locations.

Officials this week announced funding to buy and demolish homes in flood-prone sections of Cranford, a Union County community about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of New York.

They also unveiled funding for the next phase of a series of flood walls, levees and other measures to reduce the risk of flooding in Middletown in northern Monmouth County.

The state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are allocating $3.5 million for buyouts of homes in Cranford as part of the Blue Acres program to acquire and raze homes in areas where floods have repeatedly caused damage.

Nick Angarone, the department's chief resilience officer, said in a statement that the state “has been working hard to implement a statewide climate resilience strategy to better protect lives and property.”

“However, in many cases, buyouts are the only way to ensure that safety and well-being of property owners by moving them out of harm’s way,” he said.

Cranford experienced serious flooding during Tropical Storm Ida in 2021.

The buyouts are voluntary. Since the program began in 1995, the state has bought about 1,200 homes in flood-prone areas, usually along rivers. The program has yet to find willing sellers along the oceanfront, where storm damage was severe during Superstorm Sandy in 2012, but where property values have made the land too valuable to part with for many owners.

Also this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the awarding of a nearly $62 million contract for the Port Monmouth storm reduction program in Middletown. It includes construction of floodwalls and levees, improvements to drainage systems and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices to preserve the area’s natural resources.

Middletown, a Raritan Bay community about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of New York, also experienced significant damage from Sandy.

“This project began as a promise after Sandy: to rebuild smarter, stronger, and protect our communities from climate change,” U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat who represents the area, said in a statement. “With this final phase underway, Port Monmouth will finally have the protection it needs for the future."