Gov. Christie announced Thursday that New Jersey would adopt the Federal Emergency Management Agency's controversial floodplain maps, effectively requiring a large swath of coastal homeowners to raise their homes to protect against future storms.
For weeks those who lost their homes in Hurricane Sandy have been struggling to figure out whether to follow the new maps, which are not expected to be formally certified by FEMA for up to two years.
"There's no perfect solution to this problem, but if we wait, all we're doing is delaying New Jersey's recovery," Christie said in Seaside Heights, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm. "Waiting 18-24 months is not acceptable. Missing three summers at the Jersey shore, sorry, not going to happen."
