A United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) pilot program has been announced for a portion of the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) Home Elevation Program and will begin taking applicants within a few months.
During the pilot program, the USACE aims to use federal funds to raise 50 to 100 homes each in two selected neighborhoods within the towns of Brookhaven and Babylon to prevent flood damage. Officials expect that only around 50 households from each pilot neighborhood will participate based on data from similar past programs conducted elsewhere in the country.
The program is part of the USACE’s overarching FIMP program to manage the risk of coastal storm damage along the South Shore between Fire Island Inlet and Montauk Point. The USACE and their local government partners have planned a public outreach blitz over the next few months with town halls and office hours to educate homeowners and industry-level briefings to educate companies. Before construction can begin, homeowners will need to be educated about what the program entails and then sign up to get their properties assessed, unique designs for each selected home will need to be created, and contracts will need to be settled.
“We’re looking at late in the calendar year next year 2025 and early 26 for the construction,” said Colonel Alex Young, Commander of the NY District of the USACE, at a June 13 press conference in the Mastic Beach area of Brookhaven in speaking about the timeline.
Young also emphasized that participation in the Home Elevation Program is entirely voluntary for homeowners and that “any homeowner that’s interested will be able to sign up so that then we can go and determine eligibility.”
The program has identified homes in the “10% floodplain” meaning homes that would be significantly impacted by a one-in-10-year storm.
According to James D’Ambrosio, Public Affairs Specialist for the NY District of the USACE, these 10% floodplain homes “are eligible assuming they meet local building code requirements and are able to be elevated from an engineering perspective.”
Owners of properties in the area that have not been identified as being in the 10% floodplain can also apply for the program.
While it’s true that the USACE expects around 50 Brookhaven households to participate, this is just an estimate based on the 25 to 30% participation rate recorded with similar programs elsewhere.
Approximately 200 homes in Brookhaven are estimated to be eligible for this round of the pilot project. In time up to 1200 structures in Brookhaven and 4400 structures along the South Shore project area will potentially become eligible for elevation, or receive other forms of flood protection.
For the homeowners who apply and get approved, 100% of their construction costs directly associated with raising their home will be covered by the federal government using funds appropriated by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013.
Almost a billion dollars has been set aside for this aspect of FIMP alone according to Cliff Jones, Chief Of The Planning Division of the NY District of the USACE.
The USACE will also find the contractor and handle compensating them without the need for the homeowner to pay out of pocket. Homeowners will be responsible for indirect expenses though what this means may vary case by case. According to the USACE website, these indirect expenses include things like hazardous material remediation, general home improvements, bringing properties into line with building codes, and relocation during construction.
The requirement that homeowners cover their relocation during the months-long construction process may change if a bill introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer to allow for relocation assistance eventually passes according to Jones.
This program has the potential to benefit many homeowners. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico spoke during the June 13 press conference about not just the threat of flooding, but flood insurance premiums posed to homeowners in Mastic Beach and other low-lying communities. “You will have instances where flood insurance premiums will price people out of their homes,” said Panico, as he warned of premiums growing exponentially.
Panico praised the Home Elevation Program and pledged support from the Town of Brookhaven to support the project as a solution to keep people in their homes.
“This is a lifeline and this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have your house raised, the money is there, 100% federally funded,” as he urged them to prepare to apply for the program.
