Middlesex Co. Residents: Tell County Where You've Seen Flooding

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — Middlesex County announced Tuesday it is partnering with the state Department of Environmental Protection to address flooding —and wants to hear directly from residents to identify flood-prone spots.

The project is officially called Resilient NJ: Raritan River and Bay Communities Initiative. The state specifically wants to hear from people who live in Carteret, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, South Amboy, South River and Woodbridge.

"The project team is seeking input, information and recommendations from local residents regarding their own experiences with flooding and storm events," read a statement from Middlesex County. "The plan is to identify and implement flood-risk reduction strategies for the Raritan River and Bay region."

Want to share? There are multiple ways to submit your thoughts:

• Download the project’s app for your smartphone: The app is called IRYS
• Visit the project’s website at www.resilient.nj.gov/rrbc
• Tell them via Twitter at @ResilientRRBC
• Leave a voicemail at the multilingual project hotline: 732-661-3808
• Participate in future virtual public meetings and focus groups. Additional information is available on the project website.

Resilient NJ seeks to address flooding caused by coastal storms, high tides, heavy precipitation and overflowing riverbanks.

The entire project is expected to be completed in May of 2022. Expect their findings to be made public then.

"Community engagement is critical," says the team.

The plan received support from Middlesex County mayors of all political stripes.

“Although Old Bridge was fortunate to have minimal impacts during Superstorm Sandy, we recognize that Old Bridge has a responsibility and interest in identifying potential risks associated with flooding,” said Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry, a Republican. "We fully endorse Resilient NJ’s mission to create a multi-municipal watershed-based plan."

“As we have experienced in recent years, strong storms are becoming more frequent and intense, and it does not take a full-scale hurricane to cause serious flooding or damage," said Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac, a Democrat. "There are over 3,000 acres of regulatory floodplains in Woodbridge Township. We must plan now to best ensure safety in the future."

Said Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick, Democrat:

“Sayreville is located along the Raritan River and has a history of regular flooding associated with storm surges. Hurricane Sandy, for example, caused substantial damage to homes and forced the evacuation and rescue of dozens of residents," she said. "As a community that has experienced much loss due to flooding, we are pleased to take part in the Resilient NJ: Raritan River and Bay Communities initiative which will help us ensure long-term environmental and economic resiliency for generations to come."

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