Mayor Ras J. Baraka, along with a coalition of local leaders and technical experts, announced the launch of the Resilient Northeastern New Jersey initiative. This joint effort between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken, Bayonne, Hudson County, Ironbound Community Corporation, and HOPES Community Action Partnership, supported by a team of consultants led by Arcadis, will identify and implement flood risk reduction strategies for the Northeastern New Jersey region to improve long-term environmental and economic resilience.
To ensure an equitable approach to resilience, the project team is seeking input, information, and recommendations from residents, workers, businesses, and organizations regarding their own experiences with flooding and storm events. Specifically, the Resilient Northeastern New Jersey initiative will work to address flooding from coastal storms, high tides, heavy precipitation, and overflowing riverbanks.
“The short-term impact of floods and hurricanes create long-term damage to the lives, property, and economy of the City of Newark and its surrounding communities,” said Mayor Baraka. “It is critical that we work with our state and county partners as well as local municipalities, organizations, and non-profits to address the serious consequences of this flooding before it happens and build long-term flood resilience, equitably. We are proud to be a part of this initiative, and ask everyone who lives, works and plays in Newark to provide feedback so that we can develop solutions that truly work for our residents and our community.”
Resilient Northeastern New Jersey is one of four regional action plan efforts across the state that are being administered by the NJDEP Bureau of Climate Resilience Planning.
“We are excited to work with municipal and county leaders in the Resilient NJ regions to identify locally-driven regional solutions to current and future flooding,” said New Jersey Chief Resilience Officer Dave Rosenblatt. “Strengthening New Jersey against today’s climate threats is an important part of our long-term approach to climate resilience and we applaud these leaders for their vision and initiative.”
Community members interested in sharing their perspectives, recommendations, and experiences can contact the team through a variety of channels including:
- Visiting the website at www.resilient.nj.gov/nenj
- Downloading the project’s app for your smart phone: IRYS app on the App Store or Google Play Store
- Engaging on Facebook or Twitter at @ResilientNENJ or on Instagram @Resilient_NENJ
- Leaving voicemail feedback on the multilingual project hotline: 201-275-0861
- Emailing feedback to ResilientNENJ@dep.nj.gov
- Participating in virtual public meetings and focus groups. Additional information is available on the project website, linked above.
“Anyone who lives or works in New Jersey has been, or knows someone who has been, affected by flooding. The people familiar with this area understand its strengths, limitations, and needs and are uniquely capable of helping identify what neighborhoods and streets are most susceptible to flooding. We are eager for input to make sure this plan effectively and impactfully protects these communities,” said Carly Foster, project manager for Arcadis.
The Resilient Northeastern New Jersey project is expected to be completed in May 2022. The project will be conducted in waves to account for public input at every point in its development. Input from residents of flood-prone areas will be integrated into a risk assessment to evaluate future risks to critical infrastructure and valued community facilities, which will give residents and workers the opportunity to contemplate the potential impacts of future flooding on their communities. Results of the risk assessment and public feedback will be used to develop potential solutions for addressing identified risks. The final plan will delineate a path for implementation of these solutions in the future. Community members will be able to follow the project’s progress on the various channels available for engagement.
