Flood insurance shouldn't be forced on residents Recently the residents of the Bayshore were informed of proposed changes to the flood map provided by FEMA. Under the proposed new designations, hundreds of homeowners, including over 1,800 in Middletown Township alone, will be forced to obtain flood insurance as a separate insurance coverage. This end result will lead to homeowners being forced to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year in annual premiums to obtain this coverage. All of this is due to the fact that FEMA has now decided that the levy created and maintained by the federal government "may" be substandard. I stand in complete opposition of this current proposal for several reasons. First, it should be the responsibility of the federal government to correct the potential issue on their own levy system. Why should residents have to acquire flood insurance for a "potential" problem that could be remedied by the federal government fixing their own levy?As taxpayers we pay quite enough in federal income taxes to at least have the expectation that the government will maintain their own systems. Any solution to ignore the problem and pass the potential costs off to the residents of the area is just unacceptable. Most importantly, we live in a current environment where energy prices continue to rise. We continue to see increases in our sales tax, property tax and tolls, thanks to the governor and his continued run of cuts to municipalities and continued unfunded mandates. During these times, the last thing we need as residents and taxpayers is for the federal government to pass their responsibilities on this issue to us. I commendMayor [Gerard] Scharfenberger and DeputyMayor [Pamela] Brightbill for vowing to fight for the Bayshore residents of Middletown to oppose this new proposal. As a resident of Belford, I urge all residents and neighbors to support this opposition and to ensure that our voice is heard on this issue. Anthony Fiore Belford section of Middletown