LONGPORT The borough is asking full- and part-time residents to take a 10-question survey to determine their knowledge of natural and man-made disasters. The results will help the borough coordinate activities that reduce injury and property damage from storms and fires.
According to Emergency Management Coordinator Bruce Funk, the survey will be used to update a hazard mitigation plan prepared in 2007. The results of the survey will help local officials develop priorities and goals and objectives that will help alleviate damage from flooding and storms.
We want to find out what people know about potential hazards and if they are heeding our advice, he said.
Funk said nearly 75% of the goals and objectives developed as a result of the 2007 survey have been accomplished, including relocating to higher ground utilities in the borough's public buildings, such as Borough Hall and the Volunteer Fire Department.
The borough was able to obtain grant funding to replace windows in the firehouse to prevent breakage in the event of nor'easters and hurricanes.
Nuisance flooding is another top priority for the borough. It partnered with Stockton University Coastal Research Center on a study identifying seven areas in the borough that flood regularly. The grant funded installation of water level sensors that collect real time data on flooding events. The OEM office can now predict flooding events will occur when the tide reaches 7 feet above normal, Funk said.
We are now developing an early warning system to contact people who live in those areas when we expect flooding, he said.
Survey results will be compiled, and recommendations will be included in the borough's response to the Atlantic County Multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. The county's plan was originally adopted in 2010 to meet the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. All Atlantic County municipalities were invited to participate in the plan, which is updated every five years.
Funk said the survey was posted to the municipal website www.longportnj.gov two days ago and 10 people have already taken the survey.
Some of the questions ask what types of hazards are concerning to Longport residents, if they have taken steps to make their homes safer from hazards, what sources they use to obtain information, and if they have prepared a To Go Kit that contains all the necessary documents, medications and family contacts in the event they need to immediately evacuate.
The survey also gives responders the chance to sign up to receive automatic CodeRED notifications through email, voice messaging or text message.
The Longport Office of Emergency Management is also currently preparing its annual 16-page Longport Emergency Management Planning Guide, which will be mailed to all residents this summer.
The guide includes important information about FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program, and how to prepare your home for emergencies.
The borough is also participating in the Atlantic County Resiliency Plan, which includes input from many South Jersey coastal communities. That plan will target flooding as a regional issue and include planning beyond 2050.
To participate in the survey, see https://cities.formstack.com/forms/longport_hazard_mitigation_survey.
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