About this column:
News and essential information about Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey.
A lonely kind of place. That's how Ginnie Kenney described Seaside Heights in the months following Hurricane Sandy. She said she and her neighbors were expecting visitors to hopefully return to the resort town in June, but she was more optimistic. With the borough working hard at restoration following the storm's devastation, Kenney said she believed St. Patrick's Day was a more likely possibility. On Saturday, tens of thousands of visitors lined the green-stripped Boulevard in Seaside Heights for the borough's annual St. Patrick's Day parade, the first time its welcomed the public back in …
Superstorm Sandy residents came by the hundreds to today to support the grassroots organization Stop FEMA Now today at the Silverton First Aid Squad building on Maine Street in Toms River. There were few places left to park on the side streets. Drivers searched up and down Pierson Street, Blossom Drive and Oak Hill Drive looking for places to park. "Get the word out," thundered George Kasimos, who organized Stop FEMA Now shortly after the Federal Emergency Management Agency released the advisory base flood elevation data. "We have to get the word out," he said. "Like us on Facebook. Stop FEMA…
Thousands of people crowded the borough's streets, angling through the mass for a position with a decent view. Revelers hung out on motel balconies or behind metal barricades, cheering with the arrival of every beverage. For blocks surrounding the boulevard, drivers circled around, struggling to find a place to park. Welcome back, Seaside. On Saturday, Seaside Heights hosted its annual St. Patrick's Day parade, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors to enjoy the family-friendly event and witness the shore's ongoing reconstruction efforts. With the boardwalk still being installed after being …
Republicans ripped Democratic lawmakers Friday and Saturday for calling "witch-hunt" hearings reviewing a contract that could pay a politically connected company to clean up after Hurricane Sandy. Florida-based AshBritt could receive up to $100 million to clean up after Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters, the Star-Ledger is reporting. Those paid by AshBritt include George Gilmore, the Republican chairman of Ocean County; Maggie Moran, a former top aide to Gov. Jon Corzine whose husband is the mayor of Belmar; and Kris Kolluri, a New Jersey lobbyist and former head of the state …
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Transitional Sheltering Assistance program has been extended an additional 14 days at the request of the state, Gov. Chris Christie's office announced Thursday. The extension runs through March 22, requiring eligible households currently living in hotels through the program to check out by the following day, unless the program is extended once again. The TSA program was activated immediately following Hurricane Sandy. The purpose of the program is to allow eligible survivors who cannot return to their homes because of storm damage to stay in …
Don't take no for an answer. Call us. That's the message Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari wants to get out to Superstorm Sandy victims who are still receiving utility bills, even though they may have lost their homes or been displaced. "If they have an issue with a utility company, call us up," he said. 'We will do the best we can." Residents need to call or e-mail the Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs with their information before they county can act on their behalf, Vicari said. The phone is 732-929-2105. The fax is 732-506-5330. The e-mail is ConsumerAffairs@co.ocean.nj.us. And he has…
Bayshore Drive in Barnegat has been closed to through traffic as southern Ocean County braces for the worst of the storm. The road has been closed in the area of the beach and dock because of flooding and debris in the roadway, according to news reports. Law enforcement is warning people against attemoting to drive around road closed barricades, or driving through standing water in the area of the bayfront. Some pockets of water on the roadway are deceptively deep and may conceal dangerous debris, according to news reports. It is anticipated that Bayshore Drive will remained closed for the …
This is not going to be over soon. Superstorm Sandy has forever transformed the lives of those who were directly affected by it. There is no going back to life the way it was. And only those who are living this nightmare each day and night can understand the constant daily stress, fear and worry. Those who never had to leave their homes on that dark and terrifying day of Oct. 29, they cannot understand. Maybe they lost power for days and they were cold. Maybe some trees came down. And there are some who wonder why storm victims can't just get on with their lives and forget about Sandy. They …
Some of the pieces of equipment which will be used to clear submerged debris from Barnegat Bay are already in place and will begin operations soon, officials said. But work to dredge the waterway may not begin until after the unofficial start of summer. The equipment was starting to line up in northern Barnegat Bay last week, said Chris Nelson, Mantoloking borough's special counsel for storm cleanup. Nelson said state officials told him dredging portion of a state contract with CrowderGulf - the company responsible for cleaning up the bay north of Barnegat Inlet - includes two feet of …
Nearly a quarter of the home-improvement contractors dealing with storm-ravaged areas are not registered with the state Division of Consumer Affairs, according to the state Attorney General's Office. Investigators found that 477 of the 628 Home Improvement Contractors they checked were registered or had applied for registration. Another 27 contractors had been registered but their annual registrations were expired and needed to be renewed. The remaining 124 contractors were found to be unregistered, according to the AG's office. To advertise and perform home improvement work legally in New …
A mediation process has been established that gives those affected by Hurricane Sandy the option to settle disputed cases without resorting to costly and time consuming lawsuits, the Christie administration has announced. This process is needed to help alleviate the hardship being experienced by residents whose property was damaged or destroyed by Sandy, said Governor Christie. As of Feb. 15, the percentage of claims closed was at 87 percent overall and 91 percent for homeowners. This mediation program is an opportunity to expediently resolve outstanding claims so that residents can continue …
There are multiple avenues being taken to attract tourists back to New Jersey’s beaches this summer season following Hurricane Sandy. The state is currently pursuing ideas of how best to spend $25 million in federal relief aid to promote the shore. Seaside Heights is hoping to develop a marketing plan that plays on the town’s recovery, new boards and new outlook this upcoming season. In Cape May, officials recently traveled to Montreal to assure the foreign press that the shore will be open for business come summertime. In Wildwood they danced. On Saturday, Wildwood 365, in an effort to …
Across-the-board federal spending cuts that began yesterday may block as much as $2.5 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief for New York and New Jersey, according to the Garden State’s junior U.S. senator, according to Bloomberg. About $1 billion may be taken from Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster-relief funds, the main source for FEMA help for individuals and communities, said Paul Brubaker, a spokesman for Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, according to Bloomberg. Bloomber reported that another $1.5 billion may be held out of block grants and transportation funding, …
Now that registration for federal disaster assistance has been extended until Monday, April 1, six disaster recovery centers previously announced as closing will remain open in New Jersey. Center hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. They are located at the following locations: Atlantic County Hamilton Mall 4403 Blackhorse Pike Mays Landing, NJ 08330 Cape May County Ocean City Community Center 1735 Simpson Ave. Ocean City, NJ 08226 Hudson County Hudson County Government Building 830 Bergen Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07306 Monmouth County Union Beach …
The deadline for residents affected by Hurricane Sandy to apply for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been extended to April 1. Gov. Chris Christie's office announced Thursday. The extension applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration for Disaster Loan Assistance, according to a release. The disaster aid application deadline has been extended multiple times as New Jersey continues to rebuild following Sandy. "This 30-day extension will help us ensure that anyone who has been affected …
The Ocean County Board of Freeholders are slated to approve a $45 million emergency appropriation at the March 6 board meeting to help front the costs for Superstorm Sandy debris removal in municipalities. "So far, so good," Bartlett said at the pre-board meeting on Tuesday. "We can indirectly borrow from certain county accounts. We will be able to complete the entire thing by self-financing upfront." The county will eventually be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the participating municipalities, Bartlett said. "We will get it all back," Bartlett said. "The …
The numbers above show the federal employees in New Jersey by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. The interactive graphic compiles data from the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employment Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What it doesn't offer, however, is a look at how pending sequestration could impact the state's federal employees and the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery effort. Some officials say it's too soon to tell what impact sequestration cuts, which will total …
After its last meeting was shut down by Toms River police due to overcrowding, the grassroots organization Stop FEMA Now has scheduled a new meeting date, this time in a location organizers hope can accommodate the group's growing numbers. The next Stop FEMA Now meeting is planned for Sat., March 9 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silverton First Aid Squad at 86 Maine St. in Toms River. The venue, which is significantly larger than the group's previous meeting location, a sub shop in a strip mall, should be large enough to handle the anticipated crowd of more than 100 people. The group has had to…
