Resources for Community Officials

The resources on this page include more information about the coastal flood study, ways to understand your community’s flood risk, and ways to reduce the risk.

General Resources

Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Data
Tools to access data from preliminary FIRMs

Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions related to the coastal flood study, preliminary FIRMs, and more.

Community Officials Events Calendar
Information on meetings to review the preliminary FIRMs and other events will be added as it becomes available.

Document Library
List of materials featured on the Region II Coastal website, organized by topic.

Mapping Process

What Happens After Preliminary FIRMs Are Released
Understand the steps that must happen before the preliminary FIRM can become the community’s official FIRM.

Criteria for Appeals of Flood Insurance Rate Maps
Criteria for Appeals of Flood Insurance Rate Maps
FEMA publication which provides detailed information about the 90-day appeal period and appeal submittal requirements. Please note that the FEMA Standards for Flood Risk Analysis and Mapping publication (see pages 74 – 75) serves as the authoritative policy and standards documentation available from FEMA and takes precedence over other guidance documents. The Criteria for Appeals of Flood Insurance Rate Maps publication supplements the FEMA standards and serves as the most detailed source of guidance related to appeal submittal requirements and processing.

Submission of Appeals and Comments on Preliminary Work Maps and Preliminary FIRMs
Submission of Appeals and Comments on Preliminary FIRMs
This guide provides detailed information  on the process for submitting appeals and comments.

Adoption of Flood Insurance Rate Maps by Participating Communities
Adoption of Flood Insurance Rate Maps by Participating Communities
FEMA publication which provides information about a community’s responsibility in the FIRM update process.

Presentation Archive
View presentation slides from past community meetings about the coastal flood study presented by FEMA. These include Flood Risk Review, CCO, and other meetings related to the roll out of preliminary FIRMs.

Mitigation/Recovery

Local Mitigation Planning Handbook
Local Mitigation Planning Handbook
FEMA guide providing information for local governments about developing, updating, and implementing mitigation plans.

Hazard Mitigation Assistance
Information about grants available to local governments and communities to fund mitigation activities that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disasters.

Recovery Toolkit for Community Officials
Resources to assist community officials in building their communities back stronger and more resilient.

Data and Reports

Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) Data
Tools to access data from the preliminary FIRMs, including maps, the “What is My BFE?” address lookup tool, GIS data, and supporting technical data and reports.

New York/New Jersey Coastal Storm Surge Study Technical Reports
View a report and technical documents that summarize the new storm surge modeling carried out to support FIRM updates for New Jersey and New York coastal communities along the Atlantic Coast.

Engineering Support Data for New Jersey/New York Coastal Analysis
Download engineering support data used to develop the new coastal analysis, organized by state/county. Learn more about the technical data through this fact sheet series: Storm Surge GIS Data, Transect Data and Field Reconnaissance, and Coastal Hazard Analysis Modeling Program (CHAMP) Database Interpretation.

FEMA Region III Storm Surge Study Reports

Coastal Storm Surge Study Technical ReportThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has prepared the following series of Coastal Storm Surge Study reports for a coastal flood study of the Delaware River affecting communities in FEMA Region III. This study also affects several counties in New Jersey, including Salem, Gloucester, and Camden.

Digital Elevation Model
Computational System
Storm Forcing
Modeling System Validation
Storm Surge Results

Outreach Materials

Coastal Flood Risk Community Open House Toolkit for Local Officials
FEMA Region II Open House Toolkit for Local Officials
This toolkit for community officials provides key messages, sample outreach materials and templates to help communities promote and host an open house about coastal flood risk and the NJ/NY coastal flood study with community members.

Resources for Your Residents

See the Resources for Homeowners & Renters page for materials you can share with residents in your community.