The view from the Shore

Governor Christie has announced that New Jersey has adopted the federal government’s preliminary floodplain maps, and spoiled the view of thousands of working-class residents.

They face some unpleasant choices. Residents in the “V-zone” must spend around $30,000.00 to raise their houses significantly to avoid flood insurance premiums going up some 10 times, cancel their flood insurance and hope for the best, or sell their houses for what they can get and abandon the shore.

Some houses can’t be raised without complete rebuilding, a solution so expensive as to be a fantasy for many. Governor Christie and Shore residents should wait for the final floodplain maps before deciding what to do. It’s either that or turn the Jersey Shore into a private preserve of the very wealthy.