The money for this came from a FEMA fund. Your Parsippany tax dollars did not pay for it, your federal tax dollars did. When the town receives this money from FEMA, they probably have no (or a very limited) choice to do anything other than using it to purchase the property.

Growing up in Lower Hiawatha I find this so sad. I am not stupid, and I really resent that. Since I have no children in the school system, should I not pay school tax? If your tired of the drama, then move. These people lost everything.

why was the town stupid enough to let people build in a flood zone? maybe because it was not that bad of a flood zone until they build up stream and took down the trees and paved over the land that once absorbed a lot of the water or were they just money hungry to get the taxes. many towns still allow people to build, sell and buy homes in the flood zone, but why if it that great of a risk? why doesn't the town maintain the flood walls and levee system? why doesn't the town get the levee system accredited and certified to meet fema's criteria? why is the river not kept clean and free of debris so the water flows without restrictions? why don't towns communicate better, because what one town does upstream or downstream affects everyone else along the river. what is absolutely nonsense it that this would have never happened if everyone one involved, the towns, united water, were more proactive instead of reactive like they were with super storm sandy.