Politics & Government

Climate Change Is Here, Home Elevation Specialist Tells Audience of Hundreds

Informational session focused on the art of raising homes.

Think raising homes is a relatively new practice in a time of increasingly severe weather? Think again.

Nearly 100 years ago, homes were being elevated on Galveston Island in Texas, four years after the devastating hurricane that swept away thousands of lives.

Early elevation techniques of homes on the island involved "very primitive" wood cribbing and manual jacks. But as the practice took hold and bulkheads were built around the island, lives were saved in future storms, said Roderick Scott, a hazard mitigation and historic resource specialist for Louisiana-based L&R Resources.

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Scott was the key speaker at an "Elevation 101" informational session hosted by Berkeley Township officials at the Berkeley Township Elementary School on Wednesday night. It was the latest in a series of seminars held since Superstorm Sandy struck on Oct. 29.

He had an ominous message for the nearly 400 people in the auditorium. Climate change is already here and more violent weather is on the way.

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The cause of climate change "really doesn't matter," Scott said.

"It's changing," he said. "We don't really know where it's all going. Did you know that on the eastern coast of the United States, your sea level has risen 14 inches since 1900? And it continues to rise."

His home state of Louisiana has weathered five hurricanes in nine years. 

The art of home elevation has vastly improved since 1900, but the techniques are still fairly basic, Scott said.

Wood block cribbing of southern yellow pine or solid oak timbers, structural steel beams and multipurpose track machines and hydraulic jacks are used to raise houses out of harm's way, he said.

"We are all about safety," Scott said. "Safety, safety, safety. It all goes up at once. It's very gentle, very accurate."

"It's time-consuming," he added. "We don't do any shortcuts on the project. It's your house. When we lift it, it's like our house."

A home in the FEMA advisory base flood elevation map "A" zones can generally use the existing foundation. Those in FEMA's "V" zones have to go higher and have to have a "tougher" foundation, Scott said.

There are roughly four established home elevation companies in New Jersey, with a limited amount of machinery. So companies from farther south - primarily Louisiana and Florida - are coming up to fill in the gaps, he said.

Currently, New Jersey requires home elevation companies to be certified as home elevation contractors. That's the first thing residents should look for when choosing a company.

He also suggested homeowners make sure an elevation company also meets the following criteria:

• Liability insurance policy.

• Riggers/cargo insurance, which protects the contents of the home during the raising process.

• Use unified jacking machinery.

"If they don't, you're going to compromise the structural integrity," Scott said.

• Ask for references.

• Ask if they've ever been sued for home elevation work.

Homeowners will need to hire an engineer to design the elevation plan, which then has to be approved by the township before work can begin, he said.

"You guys are going to be much safer for the next event," Scott said.

Residents whose homes were more than 50 percent damaged by the storm can qualify for up to $30,000 for Increase Cost of Compensation (ICC) grants. They may also receive funds from federal Hazard Mitigation grants, if the municipality is selected to receive them, he said.

Township Council President James J. Byrnes - who lost his own home in the storm - cautioned residents not to sign contracts with home elevation companies until they had the funds on hand.

Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said after the session that residents are "frustrated" with delays in receiving insurance checks, making it difficult to begin rebuilding.


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