Manahawkin Holiday Inn Displacing Hurricane Victims

The Manahawkin-Long Beach Island Holiday Inn is in fact displacing or evicting Hurricane Sandy victims.

On Monday morning I was one of the victims evicted. The Holiday Inn has systematically been adding stress to the already stressed-out residents of the storm by making each person sign up every day for an extension but then not notifying anyone. But they made sure there a express checkout you awake to each day. The Managers are here (there are only two are only on duty) during the daylight hours and none comes in before 10:00 AM. This further adds to the frustration of residents because they have no contact and they simply don't know if they have a place to stay every day.

The Township of Stafford has been one of the greatest in responding to this disaster. Shelters were set up. The Red Cross was in place, clothing and food distribution and clean up began immediately. I can’t say enough about the current team in place.

That being said the Holiday Inn in Manahawkin is not only is evicting victims, they also will not accept pre approved FEMA residents or their money. The closest hotels to the disaster areas are in Atlantic City, the next closest is Spring Lake. From there it’s west its almost another 70 miles to nearest hotel on The Official FEMA list.

Homeowners like me without transportation are left in this vast void are not the only disaster victims. FEMA officials themselves are displaced all over the state. Currently every FEMA hotel is booked solid. This leads me back to why would the Holiday Inn of Manahawkin accept new reservations when in fact their hotel is already full of willing self-paying guests and most, if not all, have been approved for the FEMA housing money.

Another note on the morning I was evicted. My only source of food was the hotel restaurant. No one showed up for work. Efforts to contact Holiday Inn Corporate have been meet with the following response “Please contact the Duty Manager at The Holiday Inn” The Duty Manager is same person evicting the hurricane victims .

I am now forced to stay in and protect my home with a generator and firewood. We have tested the electric circuits and are lucky having only 10 inches of water in home is a miracle being this close to the water. I am currently awaiting restoration of power and a town inspection. Although every house and business around me has power, for example the Mallard Island Yacht Club, Tony’s Bait and Tackle, all of Mud City for some reason not for my street Railroad Avenue is still without power. Railroad Avenue which, by the way, was cleared of all debris and the homes electric boxes were secured five days ago. Again I can’t say enough for the Town of Stafford’s leaders.

FEMA, by the way, already approved me for funds to repair my home by inspected it now if I can only get Atlantic City Electric and the building department in sync,

P.S.

We have no forms of gas lines on our side of Bay Avenue….. more to come as we clean up after Sandy.