"MANVILLE, N.J.-Richard Onderko said he will never forget the terrifying Saturday morning back in 1971 when the water rose so swiftly at his childhood home here that he and his brother had to be rescued by boat as the torrential rain from the remnants of Hurricane Doria swept through the neighborhood. It wasn't the first time-or the last-that the town endured horrific downpours."
"In fact, the working-class town of 11,000, about 25 miles southwest of Newark, has long been known for getting swamped by tropical storms, nor'easters or even just a wicked rain. It was so bad, Onderko recalled, that the constant threat of flooding had strained his parents' marriage, with his mom wanting to sell and his dad intent on staying. Eventually, his parents moved to Florida, selling the two-story house on North Second Avenue in 1995."
"His boyhood property-now just a grass lot-is one of some 1,200 properties that have been acquired across New Jersey by the state's Blue Acres program, which has used more than $234 million in federal and state funds to pay fair market value to homeowners in flood-prone areas who, like the Onderko family, had grown weary of getting flooded over and over again."
Manville, New Jersey, sits at the confluence of two rivers and experiences frequent, severe flooding from tropical storms, nor'easters, and heavy rains. Longstanding flood risk disrupted families and led to repeated property damage and relocations. A childhood home in Manville was repeatedly flooded, sold, and eventually bought by a state program and demolished, leaving a grass lot. The Blue Acres program, launched in 1995, has acquired roughly 1,200 properties across the state using over $234 million in federal and state funds and pays fair market value to homeowners in flood-prone areas. Buyouts are used as a tool for climate-driven flood mitigation.
Read at Ars Technica
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