>> Funding for NJ Business Beat with Raven Santana is provided by NJMEP -- a partner to New Jersey's manufacturing industry focused on productivity, performance, and strategic development.

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♪ This is "NJ Business Beat" with Raven Santana.

Raven: Hello.

I'm Raven Santana.

Thanks for joining me on NJ business beat.

We are in the throes of winter here in Jersey.

While we have seen snow recently, it is the winter rain and heavy flooding that is costing the state and families millions.

Advocates have long warned of the rising costs of climate change.

This week, we are breaking down those costs for New Jersey and how the state is financially preparing for climate change.

According to a climate assessment by the group e2, losses have totaled more than $2 trillion since 1980 and New Jersey disasters like hurricanes and wildfires have caused $59 billion in losses in that same time.

And climate events seriously impact our economy.

According to the U.S. office of management and if our current policies -- M budget, if our current policies don't change, climate costs will cost $14.5 trillion in GDP losses by 2060 and 2 million at risk by 2070.

I sat down with David Robinson to discuss how climate change is impacting our state's economy as well as New Jersey families.

A federal climate change assessment release last year found climate impacts are being faced across the country.

Let's talk a little bit about those findings.

>> Yes, it was a tumultuous year, as most years are across New Jersey and across the nation and globally it was the warmest year on record.

And with that, you can toss in hurricanes.

Recently we have had some blizzards and cold weather, which is not going away just because the world is getting overall warmer.

So, tumultuous conditions, we have seen them in the past.

We have seen these billion-dollar disasters increase in numbers in recent years.

Both because we have had more pronounced disasters, but we also have more and more people living in vulnerable areas, as well.

Raven: He recently released a report that found New Jersey had the third warmest year on record in 2023.

Let's just discuss extreme weather we are seeing in our state because of global warming, especially this winter.

>> Last year was one of the least snowy winters on record and in the southern half of the state, it was the least.

These are records that go back to the late 19th century.

So we have seen our share of records.

Last year, a very warm your across the state.

What is most notable about the warmth we have seen in recent years and recent decades is the persistence of the warmth.

It's not as if we are going up to 100 degrees and shattering daily records during the heat of the summer, it is just that they are all the time.

And we may escape that heat and have a couple more gold weeks -- cold weeks, sometimes we had cold days on occasion, but more likely than not, that is going to end pretty quickly and we are going to be back on the warm side of things again and that puts a strain on utilities and people's health, and so on.

Raven: What is the economic impact of this extreme weather throughout the state?

What does this mean for New Jersey residents?

David: We have seen it taking into account the fact that we had major floods on major basins in the state in December and January.

We are talking about floods near the top 10 over the past century, and they occurred in back to back months.

With that, you have that homeowners flooded out, commerce and commercial areas flooded out, its impact the transportation and such -- it has impacted transportation and such.

These are sometimes subtle economic impacts.

Sometimes they are right up there, right in front of you, in some of these cases, just miserable, redundant conditions for these people that are getting flooded out.

It's the redundancy of it.

Not just the extreme nature of one event.

And that is going to affect the state economically.

Raven: Does this have a disproportionate impact on low income communities or communities of color, for that matter?

David: Absolutely.

There is certainly an equity and impact issue here, that people often times living in the most vulnerable areas are the most vulnerable in terms of their socioeconomic status.

Because if you are going to live in a flood plane, you know your home values are going to be less to purchase, so you might wish to own a home so that you will buy in that floodplain but you will leave yourself vulnerable to those letting conditions.

And we have seen them become more repetitive.

So people who have gotten in this years ago and bought in these areas are saying, "wow, we didn't buy into the fact that we would see these floods in consecutive months or even five or 10 years apart."

It's been a real burden on those who are in but in to begin with -- bird in to begin with -- budensome situations to begin with.

Raven: There have been initiatives and ways to implement plans to solve climate change.

We know that.

How much does not cost, when we think about financing?

Is it too late?

Have these plans been inclusive at all, when we think about those communities that you just spoke about?

David: Yeah.

I think we are seeing more attention put to them.

But we are going to have to -- We make efforts to mitigate things and get things under control or to slow the train, if you will.

But we are also learning that we have to be adaptive.

We have to become more resilient.

And we have seen this in the flooding situations, be it utility companies raising their substations above flood levels, be it communities such as Hoboken taking proactive moves to reduce harbor flooding coming and, also from heavy rainfalls as well.

But we've got a long ways to go.

In the state now, the question always is -- do you have these blue acre funds that will buy out flood prone communities with repetitive losses?

That is also another strain on these residents, in being able to get an adequate price for their home so they can move somewhere else, where they would be less vulnerable to flooding.

So there have been -- there has been progress in all of these fronts.

But obviously never fast enough.

And along with that comes more storms, more flooding.

Raven: That's right.

David: We had coastal flooding, inland flooding, and so on.

That is a major issue now in the state.

Too much water in too many places.

We have health issues when it comes to increasing heat and such.

And the impacts on the environment.

So, we've just got to be increasingly vigilant and attentive and not assume that these are going to go away.

Raven: We can continue to implement things to help stop or slow down flooding, or other types of impact, but is it too late?

Have we waited too long?

Not just here in New Jersey but in the U.S. David: When this became more newsworthy around 30 years ago -- I've been in this business longer than that and seen the changes occurring as far back as then -- that would've been nice if we had gotten our act together at that point.

It's taken time.

But I think that it is not too late.

It is not something where you want to give up hope.

Yeah, we've been slow in the process.

I think now we recognize it and we have made some progress.

But we are still going to have to learn to adapt, because it's not going away.

Can we slow it?

Maybe.

But this is a whole global issue, across international borders, everyone has to be part of the solution.

Raven: That's right.

David: That takes time.

Raven: Thank you for joining me on NJ business beat, David.

David: Thank you for having me.

Raven: The EPA recently awarded New Jersey $3 million in federal funding to create innovative programs to cut pollution and build an economy around clean energy.

It's one of a number of initiatives in the state aimed at combating the impacts of climate change.

As mentioned earlier, the most of your impact comes from flooding.

Advocates have pushed for infrastructure upgrades for years.

I spoke with Ed Patel's -- With Ed P. to discuss long-term solutions to New Jersey's growing flooding issues.

Chronic flooding has been an ongoing concern in New Jersey as we all know and it is only getting worse.

The state has been hit with severe flooding the past few weeks from severe storms, costing millions of dollars in property damage for residents and businesses.

This brings us back to something you have advocated for in the past, the creation of storm water utilities.

Tell us more about how you really plan to get that going.

Ed: There is no doubt we are affected negatively.

New Jersey is warming faster than the rest of the Northeast and we are seeing that with two different points -- too much rain like we saw in the winter storm Finn that hurt communities, it is an issue that we lead with a number of other environment groups, including folks at Rutgers experts, called flood defense New Jersey to protect communities.

From 1980 until now, if weather had remained constant to climate, we would've saved $1.3 billion in damages.

A stormwater utility allows us to generate the much-needed funding to make investments that hold onto this water, absorbent like a sponge with natural green infrastructure, and prevented from making its way into our community's and their basements, homes and businesses, and having the devastation it is wreaking.

This is something we have been inheriting from our grandparents and parents, from development, when they didn't know better.

We need funding and money to do what engineers tell us we can do to prevent these negative impacts.

Raven: Since the state legislature passed a law allowing the creation of storm water utilities back in 2019, only a handful of towns have explored creating these utilities.

Why is that?

Ed: It is something that is new.

It takes a little bit of time.

The storms we are seeing on stands as a reminder to the failing of the past ways that we developed.

And I think that it is an impetus for us to move forward with funding the much-needed infrastructure to hold onto her stormwater and absorb -- our stormwater and absorb it like our water and sewer authorities exist.

1500 of these utilities exist and over -- in over 41 states.

These are not Democratic or Republican states.

They are every state, Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania.

They are having really positive impacts.

It is new for us but it's not a new concept.

We can learn from them and we can do it better.

But New Jersey is the most developed state -- we have 12% of our land covering concrete and pavement.

We have the worst impacts from these hardened services picking up pollution running into our waterways, unabated and causing this sort of flooding.

Raven: Are some of those challenges financial?

Ed: People have questions about what it will cost and whether or not they trust government to do the thing they promised to do.

And to make sure the investments being made are not lining some politicians pockets or something like that.

I will say that all the work that we've done as an environmental group and what we have seen happen on these projects are much-needed.

When the money is available, houses that flooded don't flood anymore and businesses that flooded don't flood anymore and the way the law was written and passed and now currently exists in New Jersey, th money can be diverted -- the money can be diverted.

And has to go into the products.

You can trust it.

It's like four dollars a month on average, for an average homeowner, to prevent that $1.3 billion of destruction that we are seeing.

It is a good investment.

Raven: Ed, what are some other strategies you would like to see implemented to prepare for the impacts of climate change especially when it comes to social justice and helping marginalized communities of color?

Ed: This is a really important issue.

Many communities, particularly urban communities, have something called a combined sewer system where the rainwater mixes directly with the sewage water.

Which is no problem on a sunny day or a normal rain event.

The problem is when we are seeing more intense and frequent storms, the system gets inundated and so they open up a valve called the sewer overflow and the storage water that is mixed with the rainwater allows that raw sewage to go out into our waterways -- in some communities like Camden, it is ending up in their streets.

And that then is the floodwaters that are coming into homes and businesses.

So it is toxic and it is going to cause health issues, and it is happening on -- it is happening all of the time.

Urban areas in particular like Newark and Jersey City's are communities that have these combined sewers and we need to disentangle them and keep the rainwater from going into the two were in the first place.

That is where the hardened services are not helping us.

A stormwater utility would allow for investments on things that the nature would absorb it before it runs into that brick.

If you don't have a chance to get their inmost storms.

Raven: Why is it taking so long to fix something like that?

Ed: Communities that are seeing this recurring flooding, sunny day flooding along are sure because of rising sea levels, they really need to demand their elected officials take action and move forward responsibly.

And really promote a stormwater utility as funding, but if they want to look at other methods to fund it, demand the investment in your community to hold onto that water and clean it up.

They are not hearing enough from people.

They are just throwing their hands up and trying to point the finger at something else.

Raven: What else can be done?

Is there enough being done?

Ed: No doubt, there's not enough being done.

We are way more developed in the nation, we are seeing more flooding than any place around and we are losing lives.

With her again Ida, four -- hurricane Ida, four people died in low income housing, people of color, living in the first floor of a nearly sort of constructed building that was built in a floodplain.

We need to stop doing that.

But we also need better plans and we need to prevent the flooding from happening by investing in the stormwater infrastructure.

There's a lot of things that we are not doing right.

And with climate change, we will see more intense and frequent storms, and this is going to play out like a TV rerun -- but unfortunately people are going to lose their lives and their health is going to be negatively impacted, not being able to get to and from work and earn money, businesses will be able to be open so customers can buy products and services, and that's not good for the economy.

-- will not be able to be open so customers can buy products and services and that is not good for the economy.

We have to take care of the health and longevity of our communities for future generations and for our kids and grandkids.

Raven: Thank you for joining me on NJ business beat.

Ed: Happy to be here.

Thanks for your interest.

Look forward to working with anyone interested.

Feel free to reach out.

Raven: One of the hardest hit cities by the impact of climate change is Patterson.

Families there and around the river were recently hit with a one-two punch of heavy rain in December and January, leaving cars and homes underwater.

The north side of the city is particularly prone to damaging and dangerous flooding.

I spoke with Mayor Andre S. about the cost of managing flooding in the city on possible solutions to deal with the impact of climate change in Patterson.

A tough few weeks for Patterson, flooding was so bad.

At one point people had to be rescued.

After flood waters came rushing into neighborhoods.

How would you describe the damage?

Mayor Sayegh: First, Raven, to say that it was tough would be an understatement.

I will give you one example.

We had a senior citizen who needed dialysis treatment and are first responders had to rescue him out of his home and get him safely -- our first responders had to rescue him out of his home and get him safely to the doctors offices.

There were multiple rescues particularly on Bergen Street by boat, so that people would be out of harm's way, and we made sure that we got them somewhere safe to stay.

Raven: I think that is all important as it pertains to my next question about how the city is assisting residents and businesses, including pop-up shops or residents to get essentials.

Mayor Sayegh: We partnered with the United Way and created a fund for families that were victims of the floods.

When we first introduced this initiative, one business owner got wind of it and came down to City Hall then gave us a $10,000 check for the victims.

We do need more people like that.

Because there are plenty of people -- I should say, too many people that have been adversely impacted.

If I could elaborate a little bit on that, last week we had a woman at 55 Bergen Street who did not have any heat.

She was boiling water and doing whatever she could to provide a warm place for her family to live in.

And the landlord was unresponsive.

I showed up on the scene and said, if he is not going to turn on the heat, we are going to turn the heat on him.

And thankfully she texted me shortly thereafter and said that she has heat now.

Raven: When it comes to cities like Patterson, even Camden, what is the possibility of your city receiving state dollars to either elevate or buy out properties impacted by recent flooding?

Mayor Sayegh: The governor was here during some of the flood -- touring some of the flood ravaged sites.

One item that he did allude to was potentially having a buyback/buyout program for residents that have been adversely impacted.

Also through the Department of community affairs, there is a mitigation assistance program to elevate some of these properties.

Then in Patterson, late last year, we applied for a grant made possible through the Department of community affairs to build a flood resiliency wall in an area where it is prone to flooding, McBride Avenue behind our fire headquarters and Pennington Park.

We are hoping we will be able to secure that grant funding.

Raven: When will the city get an estimate on damaged property?

Mayor Sayegh: I met with my coordinator of OEM, the office of emergency management this morning.

He is anticipating something within a week or so.

We want to make sure we have accurate numbers so whenever we apply for any assistance, we give them numbers that are factual.

Raven: What are your thoughts on representative Bill P., calling for more federal resources to address long-term flooding problems?

Mayor Sayegh: I support any effort to bring in federal funding, state funding, even -- there has been discussion relative to potentially dredging the river because you mentioned earlier that we are not on the shore, but that does not mean we are immune to flooding.

The river, when it crests, it is considered to be dangerous.

Last year, it rose above 10 feet.

A couple weeks ago, it got to 10 feet.

That means severe flooding ensues as a result.

Raven: Listening to you, it seems like there have been promises, there seems to be a plan from Patterson -- for Patterson, but what's been most frustrating for you?

Mayor Sayegh: What's most frustrating for me as we -- for me is we need cooperation locally.

We don't want people to be just compassionate during a crisis.

-- discompassionate during a crisis.

We should not have to go to extreme measures for something as basic as providing heat for tenants.

Raven: Is that the fear, is that another storm can happen in the next few weeks and you will be here all over again?

Mayor Sayegh: That is always a concern.

We are still in the winter season.

But quite frankly it was not so much snow.

Although the snow exacerbated the situation.

Because we got almost 4 inches of rain.

Take that 4 inches of rain plus snow that was melting because there was a storm over the weekend, then that means more water and more river, more problems for us.

Look, I want to raise awareness, relative to climate change.

Seeing storms more frequent, and more fierce.

Raven: What's the big take away?

For people watching, lawmakers and residents, what do you want them to know?

Mayor Sayegh: We need alignment amongst all levels of government, federal state and county and local, so that we can address this issue appropriately and once again we keep our residents safe and mitigate the impact that these more frequent and more fierce storms are having.

Raven: Patterson needs more funding.

Thank you for joining us.

Before we leave you, here is a look at the top business headlines of the week.

Nj transit this week proposed a 15% systemwide fare hike that could go into effect as early as this summer.

It would be the first fare increase in nearly a decade.

The proposal includes a 3% increase every year starting in July of 2025.

Officials called this a last resort a they tried to plug a $100 million budget hole.

Ridership still has not reached pre-pandemic levels but transit leaders say they want to avoid service cuts.

And said the agency is using federal funding to make up the gaps.

But that money is set to run out soon.

The agency says it has also already made $44 million in internal cuts to close the gap.

The Senate President said the plan puts an unfair burden on commuters.

In a statement, the head of the regional planning Association blamed the state for flailing to address the agency's long-term financial problems.

Public hearings will be held in 10 counties before the agency takes a vote in April.

This week I reported on a comprehensive study showing large disparities for minority and women owned businesses in obtaining government contract work.

Governor Murphy and state legislators are bowing to revise the state contracting procedures in response.

The report found black, Asian, and Hispanic business owners received less than 4% of the funding awarded through construction contracts.

Despite making up 30% of available construction businesses.

Women owned businesses only received 10% of the available funding, despite accounting for 40% of the business services.

I spoke with local leaders and business owners who told me that this report largely confirms what they have experienced, and they hope it's for exchange.

>> They were not surprised in -- not surprised that the data showed what it showed.

Their experience all along was they would not get the opportunities.

>> This is my personal opinion of not speaking for any of the organizations, but this is a systemic issue that is continuing to happen, but bringing a document like this, a research document like this out into the light is going to disrupt the system and see change happening soon.

Raven: That does it for us this week.

Remember to subscribe to our NJ Spotlight news YouTube channel to get alerted when we post new episodes and clips.

Next week, we will focus on emerging trends in the travel industry, as families start to plan their spring and summer vacations.

Thanks for watching, and we will see you next weekend.

>> Funding for "NJ Biz Beat with Raven Santana provided by NJMEP, a partner to New Jersey's manufacturing industry focus on -- focused on productivity, performance, and strategic development.

More on NJMEP.org.

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