NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker today announced $5,042,550 in federal funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support a flood mitigation and resiliency project in Wayne.

“Superstorm Sandy took a toll on our state and now we must take proactive steps to ensure our communities and infrastructure are stronger and better prepared for when the next storm hits,” said Sen. Menendez. “Voluntary buyouts is just one part of a broad mitigation strategy that saves lives, protects homes and safeguards entire communities in New Jersey.”

“Unfortunately, too many New Jersey communities are vulnerable to repeated flooding and we must focus on protecting these communities from the devastation of heavy rainfall and extreme weather,” said Sen. Booker. “This federal investment is critical to addressing the dangers of flood hazards and I am grateful that Wayne will be better prepared because of it.”

The funding will be used to acquire and demolish 25 flood-prone homes in Wayne. Once the properties are acquired, demolished and restored, the land will be maintained by the Township as open space. This is in addition to the $6 million the senators announced in March.

Last Congress, Sen. Menendez introduced a long term, six-year reauthorization of the Sustainable, Affordable, Fair, and Efficient National Flood Insurance Program Act (SAFE NFIP). This bipartisan legislation addresses the lessons learned after Superstorm Sandy to correct the systemic problems within the NFIP, while reframing our nation’s disaster paradigm to invest more in prevention and mitigation in order to spare the high cost of rebuilding after flood disasters.

Wayne sits in the heart of the Passaic River Basin where five federal disaster declarations have been issued in the past 20 years, most recently after Hurricane Irene in 2011.

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