New Vehicle Will Gather Manasquan Elevations

Manasquan agreed to partner with an agency that will measure first floor elevations in Hurricane Sandy damaged areas of the borough, as part of a pilot program to create flood risk maps with new technology.

On Feb. 26, the agency is expected to drive around the borough, using sensory equipment to gather the elevations of hundreds of damaged buildings in town.

The program, called Risk Assessment, Mapping and Planning Partners, or RAMPP, is a pilot program Manasquan was selected to join at the suggestion of FEMA. It will help form a flood risk assessment map of the borough that could in the future aid in the re-mapping of the county and coastal devastated areas.

A RAMPP vehicle, equipped with elevation monitoring equipment such as sensors, GPS devices, and lasers, will drive around Manasquan gathering data.

According to the resolution passed this week, compiling the elevation data is non-invasive, will not put vehicles or staff on private property, and will only be done from public roads.

“The RAMPP team will not require access to this data and will be limited to public roadways and right of ways,” according to the resolution.

With approximately 355 buildings in Manasquan damaged by Hurricane Sandy, the RAMPP program will focus on the damaged areas to assess first floor elevations in those neighborhoods, according to the borough.