Nine months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the tri-state area, New Jersey residents are struggling to recover what was lost during the storm. Many families still await grants to begin rebuilding their lives.
In Union Beach, Andrea and her family are in the process of rebuilding after the storm. Currently, Andrea’s family of four lives in a trailer just outside of their uninhabitable home. Andrea’s family is one of many that, in her words, “are in the same predicament, that were just forgotten about” after Hurricane Sandy. In this video, she describes the process – hindered by bureaucracy – of applying for community disaster block grants. To Andrea and other families affected by Sandy, “it’s been nine months of waiting, nine months of October 30th.”
Yet while families like Andrea’s wait for relief, the Christie Administration’s spent millions in federal recovery funding on what amounts to a campaign advertisement. According to the Asbury Park Press, two firms pitched similar ad proposals with just one key difference: one firm, MWW, proposed having the Christies in its ad while the other firm did not. MWW won the contract and charged $2 million more than the other team, almost double.
Governor Christie touts his commitment to fiscal responsibility, but his actions speak louder than words.
The reality is families like Andrea’s are suffering and that $2 million could have been better used by them.
