A change to state policy has left some New Jersey residents in one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ida two years ago with two choices: Pay for repairs themselves or sell the state their property so it can be razed to the ground.
State officials say dozens of residents in parts of Manville that were deemed high risk for flooding are no longer eligible for federal aid that the state administers for rebuilding.
“We were not warned, we were not involved in the process,” said Robert Leigh Simpson, 75, who has been living in a hotel since the storm destroyed his home. Simpson used most of his insurance money to structurally repair and elevate his single-story ranch house, but was hoping to get federal aid to finish interior repairs.
Now, he’s stuck with an unfinished home — 10 feet off the ground.
Many residents were counting on federal funding to finish repairs or elevate their homes but received rejection letters denying their federal funding applications last week, and were instead offered state buyouts. State officials say they notified Manville’s borough government last month.
Lisa Ryan, a spokeswoman for the Department of Community Affairs, said federal funding is a limited resource — so several state agencies agreed not to spend it on for repairs or elevations in areas where homes are very likely to flood again. They used flood-mapping technology from Rutgers University to identify high-risk areas.
She said the new policy affects 79 Manville property owners who applied for one of three federal aid programs.
She said with climate change waterlogging areas that have never flooded before, the state is focused “on doing the most we can to help as many households as possible with the limited federal money we have.”
To help residents in Manville, the state is directing $49.5 million — more than half its statewide budget for post-Ida buyouts — to the working-class borough. The state offers homeowners market-rate prices for their properties to…
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