NJ tax credit aims to ease flood insurance costs for families: ‘I would benefit’

BOGOTA, N.J. (PIX11) — Willy Ortiz has had to summon all his strength to continue living in his home. Every time he sees rain in the forecast comes a pang of anxiety.

"Listen, every time it rains, my granddaughter is terrified," said Ortiz. "'Papa, we're going to get flooded,' she cries. My mother, she's 75, she's traumatized."

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His home sits at the bottom of two hills behind a wall along I-80.

He says anytime heavy rain comes, his backyard and basement flood, including three times in three weeks this summer. He says the wall and aging infrastructure all contribute to his nightmare.

"The water, it's like a river," said Ortiz, "and it's worse and worse every time."

Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ 5th District) came to Bogota Thursday to announce bipartisan legislation he's penned along with Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY 2nd District) that would provide all Americans who need flood insurance with a $1,000 annual tax credit.

"Obviously, they have to put some skin in the game too, but it actually will help a lot," said Gottheimer. "But these prices keep going up, so we need to do something that will help people who need this protection. It's worth the investment."

"I have to pay $1800 of flood insurance every year," said Ortiz. "I would benefit from the cut because instead of paying $1800, I would just- I still pay $800, but it's $1000 less."

"We've got areas of town where we're pumping out peoples' basements where there just shouldn't be water," said Bogota Mayor Daniele Fede, who is also a deputy chief on the Bogota Rescue Squad. She says beyond the tax credit, the Borough will need a lot more help.

"I just think these people need assistance in alternate housing," said Fede. "I mean, these people are out of their houses for months on end. It's a start, it's a start, and certainly, as I said, we definitely need to put money into our infrastructure because until we fix our old infrastructure, these issues are going to just keep occurring."