New Mercer County Flood Maps Can Be Viewed Online

If you weren’t able to attend , fear not. You can review the maps online from the convenience of your home to learn if your property falls within a designated flood zone.

In fact, checking the new maps should be a priority, according to Patricia A. Griggs, a senior natural hazards program specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“If someone finds themself in a situation where on the existing flood map they are not in a high-risk zone but on the new flood risk map they are in a high-risk zone and they have a mortgage they’re going to be required to purchase flood insurance,” she said at the map unveiling last Thursday (March 10) at the Lawrence Township headquarters of the Mercer County Library.

Owners of properties located in high-risk flood zones who have a mortgage through a federally-regulated lender are required, under an act of Congress, to have flood insurance, according to FEMA. Similarly, county and local public buildings located in such zones must be insured against flood in order to qualify for federal disaster assistance aid.

“The National Flood Insurance Program has a new policy for those folks who are not in a flood zone now but based on our new science and engineering will find themselves in a flood-hazard area. It’s called the Preferred Risk Policy. And they’re eligible for that for two years,” Griggs said. “And that’s important because flood insurance is based on your risk. So if you go from a low-risk or no-risk to a high-risk, you should really be paying high-risk premiums. But we’ve realized that’s a hardship on people, so we have this new policy – the Preferred Risk Policy – that gives these people two years [of flood coverage] at a lower premium.”

Flood maps for all of New Jersey can be found online here, with Mercer County’s new maps able to be viewed via an interactive program. Residents should click on the section of the grid where their home is located to see if they are in a flood hazard zone (which would appear on the map covered in blue polka-dots). Consult the legend accompanying the map for details about the specific risk.

The new maps are the product of a five-year, $1 billion project ordered by Congress to provide residents across the United States with updated information about their risks from flooding. FEMA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection teamed up with other agencies to review past storm data, conduct hydrologic modeling, and analyze local topography to create the new maps.

Prior to last week’s unveiling, FEMA officials said that 63 percent of the 4,380 parcels in Mercer County previously identified as being at risk of flooding were removed from the “special flood hazard area” list. But 1,618 parcels were added to the hazard list “upon being identified as properties subject to a significant risk from flooding.” 

FEMA officials said the new maps are considered preliminary at this time and will not be declared permanent until after Mercer County residents have an opportunity in the next few months to offer feedback on the maps or argue against their inclusion in a flood zone.

Located in the PDF box above are three flyers that were passed out at the map unveiling that contain guidance on how to locate your property on the new flood maps and also important information about the National Flood Insurance Program’s Preferred Risk Policy.