Hazard Mitigation Seminar Set for Saturday in Brick

Brick Township will join the Hazard Mitigation Elevation Industry in hosting educational seminars about hazard mitigation and structural elevation Saturday. 

The seminars – which will be held Saturday morning and next Wednesday evening – are free to attend and no registration is required. They will be strictly educational in nature, organizers said, and there will be no sales materials or pitches as part of the program.

"We are working hard to provide residents impacted by Sandy with as much information as possible, such as the FEMA Information Fair," said Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis, in a statement. "These seminars are a continuation of our efforts. Seminars like this are invaluable because citizens need information to be able to make the decisions they are going to have to make."

According to the statement issued by the township, the Sandy disaster has resulted in hundreds of  thousands of flood damaged buildings. Floodplain ordinances require that structures in a floodplain damaged over 50 percent be hazard mitigated in conjunction with their rehabilitation in order to reduce future damage from flooding.

Structural elevation is a recognized flood hazard mitigation method. Due to the lack of significant numbers of building elevations for flood hazard mitigation in New Jersey, compared to other states, there is a lack of knowledge among the public in how the process works, hence the value of such seminars.

"It is critical that property owners educate themselves about how the structural elevation process works and the equipment the industry professionals use in order to reduce the risk of hiring non-qualified contractors/individuals soliciting business in the area and to increase property owner confidence in this process," said Roderick Scott, an employee of Ducky Johnson House Movers and representative of the industry who will conduct the seminars.

The seminars will be held on Jan. 19 at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at Drum Point Elementary School, 41 Drum Point Road and on Wednesday, January 23 at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Lake Riviera Middle School, 171 Beaverson Boulevard.