Bergen Grassroots Creates Task Force to Prevent Future Storms

By Megan Merrigan

Nine months ago, Superstorm Sandy swept across New Jersey leaving Bergen County municipalities Little Ferry and Moonachie 80 percent under water after a levee in Moonachie was breached.

“The difference between the Jersey Shore and (Bergen County) is that we didn’t see it coming,” Freeholder Maura DeNicola said Thursday night at a forum hosted by Teaneck-based Bergen Grassroots.

The intent of the forum was for homeowners to discuss what long-term changes the county can make in the event that a natural disaster like Sandy were to strike again, said Charles Powers, president of Bergen Grassroots. 

Bergen County is one of nine counties in the state vying for $280 million given by the federal government. Municipalities are responsible for 10 percent of the property’s cost, and the dollars may just not be there, according to Ronald Salzano of the County Office of Emergency Management.

In order to appropriately divide the money, Gov. Chris Christie has asked each municipality affected by Sandy to make what resembles a wish list for their town, which will then be compiled by the county and sent to the state for approval, according to Salzano.

“What’s going to happen starts at the municipal level,” Salzano said.

Residents and officials alike say municipalities need to work together to make sure Bergen County is prepared for future storms. 

Francisco Artigas, the director of the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute, kicked off Thursday’s discussion with a detailed report of water-levels during Sandy’s peak, the height of berms in the area and why those berms did not stand a chance during the storm.

Some of the county’s berms were built more than 70 years ago and most are about five feet high.  But, the wind and surge during Sandy caused water levels to reach above seven feet for over six hours, according to Artigas.

Little Ferry Mayor Mauro Raguseo has hopes the federal government will invest in a moveable barrier in the Newark Bay, which he thinks is the solution to his town’s flooding problem.

“Isn’t it wiser, isn’t it smarter to stop this now?,” Raguseo said.

But, Hackensack Riverkeeper Capt. Bill Sheehan says a moveable barrier in the Newark Bay is not an appropriate solution, neither are higher berms.

“The river’s going to come where the river wants to go,” Sheehan said.

Sheehan said the Blue Acres Initiative, which allows the government to buy flood prone land and maintain it as open space —and essentially act as a sponge during storms —is the county’s best option.

“Just get out of the way,” Sheehan said.  “We are just human beings and the ocean is what it is.”

While the Blue Acres Initiative may prove to be the most effective option, Raguseo said he does not want to ask Little Ferry residents to leave their community.

Powers invited those in attendance to join a Bergen Grassroots task force dedicated to addressing the issues from the ground up and keep the discussion going.

“Residents need to start in their communities and work out from there,” Salzano said.