Monmouth County unveils ‘Know Your Zone’ flood program

<p>Monmouth County officials unveiled Wednesday the &ldquo;Know Your Zone&rdquo; flood evacuation program.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 7, 2017, 12:21 AM

Updated 2,568 days ago

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Monmouth County officials unveiled Wednesday the “Know Your Zone” flood evacuation program.
The goal is to make sure all 60,000 people living in storm surge-prone areas in the county know how to evacuate in the event of flooding.
New signs have been posted around the country will help make it easier to follow the correct evacuation orders.
“This is designed to make the message simpler and direct,” says Monmouth County OEM Coordinator Michael Oppengaard.
Officials say residents were told in the days leading up to Superstorm Sandy to evacuate if they lived in flood-prone areas. The problem was that some people weren’t sure if they did, and did not evacuate.
“During Sandy there was no clear evacuation communication,” says Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. “During Sandy there was some confusion, even in Sea Bright, about whether we should go or not go.”
Zones are broken down using scientific surge models and technology. This is similar to programs used in other states prone to hurricanes.
“We’ll be able to issue the evacuation orders based on simply saying ‘Hey, if you live in Zone A, you’re under some sort of evacuation order,’” Oppengaard says.
Monmouth County residents can log on to the “Know Your Zone” website to find out which zone they are located in. The website will also say if there is an evacuation order or not.
Other counties in New Jersey and in other states have reached out to Monmouth County officials to find out more about the program, according to the Monmouth County sheriff.