Union Beach, a Jersey Shore town that was battered by Superstorm Sandy, received $50 million to jump-start a flood protection project designed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The funds will go towards phase one of the project — a beach berm, planted dunes, and jetties — with completion scheduled for November. Future phases will include floodgates and pump stations.

Another flood control project in Middlesex Borough last week got $500 million in federal funding for levees and protective walls to control rain and riverine flooding in the Green Brook Basin. But many other projects remain unapproved and unfunded in New Jersey communities vulnerable to flooding. And with climate change driving up storm frequency and ferocity, officials are scrambling for bipartisan support before floodwaters rise again.