It's the door-to-door interaction with Ocean County residents - and the ability to help those in need - that keeps Susan Palmer coming back. As one of more than 600 people who serve as crisis counselors for New Jersey Hope and Healing, a joint effort of the state Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Mental Health Association of New Jersey, Palmer said she has been able to interact with dozens of people throughout Ocean County - from Holgate to Seaside - after Sandy. At last night's Manchester Council meeting, Brendan Weiner praised the work the organization does. "If you …

Boardwalk reconstruction is well underway in Seaside Heights.  With a deadline of May 10 to finish, crews have been working steadily to add boards to previously installed pilings along the 15-block stretch of planned boardwalk.  The resort town has always eyed Memorial Day as its reopening date, though it appears as though it will beat that prediction. Town officials have yet to schedule a reopening of Seaside Heights' beaches. Debris is still scattered throughout and will require additional, and thorough, beach cleanups before it's ready to go. 

Two weeks ago Tia Savoy had her first meltdown. Nearly six months of moving from place to place, calling family and friends looking for a place to sleep for a month, a week, a night, finding a bed for her daughter - she'd take a couch - had taken its toll.  Her Seaside Heights apartment had been destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. As a renter she had few options immediately after the storm, the only certain one being to leave it all behind. She made calls that were not returned. She answered ads for new apartments, only to find that listed rents had magically gone up a few hundred dollars when she …

Just a short walk down the debris-littered beach in Seaside Heights, work is underway on Casino Pier. Despite the presence of a roller coaster still sitting in the ocean, positive reconstruction has been going on for several months. Officials even say they plan on reopening a portion of the pier, along with some rides, by Memorial Day. It's a different story at Funtown Pier. The amusement rival remains a wreck following Hurricane Sandy's arrival at the resort town in late October. The pier, which arguably received more damage during the storm than Casino Pier, is in disarray. Large portions …

New Jersey will receive more than $75.9 million in federal funding to repair and reconstruct more than 12 miles of State Route 35 in Ocean County seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Democratic Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez announced Friday.  The funding - exactly $75,935,520 - is provided by the Department of Transportation's Emergency Relief program, which is administered through the Federal Highway Administration. In New Jersey, the ER funding is used to rebuild and repair the State's infrastructure, which suffered road washouts, sign and signal damage, and also …

Is it called the "Chicken or the Egg?" Or is it just the "Chegg?" Or does it really matter? What matters is the "Chegg," Fantasy Island and other noteworthy places in the no-longer hurricane-ravaged areas of Long Beach Island are now open for business. Besides the beaches from Barnegat Light all the down to Holgate being open, the landmark restaurant has declared on its Facebook page that the restaurant is open, and business has been overflowing. "Just want to thank everyone who made out opening day so special. We are really sorry it was so crazy busy, and we really got backed up," the owners…

Disaster Recovery Centers opened in towns affected by Hurricane Sandy are subject to new, reduced hours of operation beginning Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday. On Monday, April 8, all of New Jersey's remaining disaster recovery centers will operate from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday hours will remain 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Previously, the centers were open an additional hour on weekdays. Now, six months following Sandy, nine disaster recovery centers remain open throughout the state, located in towns in Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic, Cape …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Transitional Sheltering Assistance program has been extended to April 30, Gov. Chris Christie's Administration announced Thursday, for what is likely the last time following Hurricane Sandy. The purpose of the TSA program is to shelter residents who have lost their homes due to the late October storm. Those participating in the TSA program are being housed in hotels and motels throughout the state.  As of Thursday, roughly 219 Sandy-displaced residents are housed through the TSA program. Over the course of the month FEMA, along with the State …

The Fair Share Housing Center has filed and Open Public Records Act complaint against the State, claiming the Christie Administration has not been upfront about its hiring of a consultant to oversee the spending of billions in Hurricane Sandy relief aid. According to the complaint, the state has not complied with a request to provide FSHC with documents relating to the contract and award of a consultant responsible for preparing a plan to spend more than $5 billion federal Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery funds. The organization, which is dedicated to defending the …

Ocean County's equalized tax base dropped $10 billion after Superstorm Sandy slammed into the Jersey Shore last Oct. 29. The county's tax base fell from $100.2 billion in 2012 to $90.2 billion in 2013, largely as a result of the massive storm that devastated the barrier island and some mainland sections, Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. said. The county tax rate will jump 3.7 cents for each $100 of equalized valuation. But using some of the 2013 county open space tax funds will pare the increase to 3.2 cents, he said. "The tax rate and base work hand in hand," Bartlett said. "We are not going …

Arora and Associates, a Lawrenceville-based consulting civil and structural engineering firm, released a video Wednesday that contains stunning footage of the Mantoloking breach created by Superstorm Sandy. The video chronicles the efforts of the company's employees to engineer a solution to closing the breach, shoring up the island and rebuilding Route 35 and the base of the Mantoloking Bridge intersection.

Becky Grodzki and Matthew Budreck, both of Brick, had planned their June wedding at the waterfront Martell's Waters Edge venue, in Bayville. But when Sandy blew in, portions of the couple's venue were reduced to rubble, and they were told the venue probably wouldn't be ready in time for their wedding. As if that weren't enough, Grodzki was helping a neighbor remove possessions from his house after Sandy pushed about 4 feet of water into the home, when a diamond from her engagement ring fell out and was lost among the rubble. Then there was the $3,000 that Grodzki and Budreck were forced to …

The Christie Administration's Mobile Cabinet tour through shore communities affected by Hurricane Sandy continues with a stop in Ortley Beach Friday. Gov. Chris Christie instituted mobile cabinets in an effort to pair head officials from several State and federal agencies with local residents impacted by the late October storm who are looking for answers as they continue to recover.  The Friday Mobile Cabinet will be held at the police substation at 5 Ortley Plaza, Toms River from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents will have an opportunity to meet with officials from the Department of Banking and …

Show me the way to go home. Five months? Has it really been five months since the monster Superstorm Sandy roared into Ocean County and changed the landscape for all time? Has it really been five months since we fled our Bayville home and moved into my son and daughter-in-law's basement? I remember hoping in those first dark weeks that we might be back in time for Christmas. We are still out. It took awhile for reality to sink in. It took some time to realize that recovery, for many, won't happen quickly. And for some, it won't happen at all. I met a woman who lives on Cove Road West in …

The crash is steep. Ceiling to flooded basement. Hurricane Sandy tore through the Jersey Shore and elicited a response like no other. Local and national news outlets arrived, in droves. Television cameras framed sad faces alongside piles of debris. Benefit concerts paired aging rock stars with a new cause. Volunteers arrived by the busload from throughout the country. Checks were written, memoed with words like hope and optimism. It’s what they call the honeymoon phase of a disaster. Like the ocean water that shifted buildings from their foundations, this surge too would eventually have to …

After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Farias Surf and Sport Shop of Long Beach Island has been using means of relocation, renovation and volunteer work to save its business and support its community. Farias has recently moved to the mainland while six other stores are being renovated on Long Beach Island. The store’s new location is on Route 72 in Manahawkin, and manager Gary Grippaldi, 39, said they plan on making this location a permanent shop. Although the mainland shop is thriving, renovating the other shops and replacing damaged merchandise is still a struggle. According to Grippaldi…

The Jersey Shore is open for business. So promises a video produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) featuring several local businesses that have reopened following Hurricane Sandy. In brief vignettes spliced with images and slogans of the shore's recovery, business owners and employees from Sandy-impacted towns invite customers back to their businesses by letting them know that not only are they open, but that in spite of the late-October storm they remain "Jersey Strong." The Beachcomber in Seaside Heights, Bain's Hardware in Sea Bright, and Used to Be's in Mantoloking are …

Renters who had losses during Hurricane Sandy may be eligible to receive federal disaster assistance to replace damaged contents. Renters can receive up to $40,000 in low-interest disaster home loans from the Small Business Administration for personal property losses, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. No one is required to accept a loan offer. Renters may be referred for FEMA grants if they are not approved for an SBA disaster home loan. The simplest way to complete the application is online by using the SBA’s electronic loan application. Go to DisasterLoan.SBA.gov/ELA. …

Residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until May 1 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a prepared statement from the governor's office.  The deadline extension also applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance. Businesses applying for SBA Economic Injury loans still have until July 31 to apply. The loans are for businesses that did not suffer any physical damage, but lost revenue in Sandy's aftermath. State and federal …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has produced materials to give technical guidance to home builders and property owners planning post-Sandy construction or repairs in coastal areas. Investigations conducted by FEMA and other organizations have consistently shown that properly sited, well-designed and well-constructed coastal residential buildings generally perform well in coastal disasters. For residential builders and do-it-yourselfers, FEMA offers a series of Fact Sheets (available free at Fema.gov) that provide technical guidance and recommendations concerning the construction of …