End All Foreign aid let corp America protect their own interests

Great post, Barbara. Our tax dollars have been, and are still being squandered.

You are right Barbara

I have a home on the water in Toms River NJ our house is mildewed the waters are contaminated. Month like everyone. They Change the codes zone get no answers no help. And i totally Agree. Instead of helping the United States. They are right there in an instant shipping millions overseas and they should be concerned with helping our own. Very Sad World.

You are right on this account. I live on the Beaver Dam Creek, last night had a storm with high winds and not ONE WAVE let alone a 3 ft. one. Why am I in the V Zone on FEMA map. The Government is ruining our lives and financial stability.

You need to appeal the V zone with the town. I spoke with someone at NFIP and they told me that your town has the final say over those maps, not Fema. She said you need to address it with the engineer and appeal the decision with him or her. Because she said due to the fact that these maps are technically not in effect, they cannot be appealed because you are still technically in your previous flood zone. However, for rebuilding purposes, the advisory maps are being used by the towns, but you are within your rights to appeal. You just need your elevation certificate. These maps are a complete joke and I want to know how in some areas the V and the A zones cross each other and go around each other, so am I supposed to believe that somehow a 3 foot wave is going to bypass the A zone, maybe by jumping over the top of it, and make it to the V zone? Where is the logic in all of this?
You can really see just how ridiculous these designations are by looking out how they are mapped out in the map below.
http://fema.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=2f0a884bfb434d76af8c15c26541a545

Half my neighbor's property (across the street from me) is in A zone and half in V zone. This is nuts! What government official came up with this stupid idea?

Great point Bernie

Karen even if you appeal the V zone through the town the insurance companies are still going to go by the fema maps so won't you just end up getting killed by high insurance costs?

@Bernie, You are exactly right, lets prioritize the crisis here. If we don't get the zones corrected, no one will need to be concerned about rebuilding the Boardwalk or anywhere else because there will be a shortage of homes that are able to obtain COs within a year or so and the banks will be destroyed when a huge amount of homeowners give up and walk away. Now that the Map has been adopted and funds "should" be on their way, the next step is to expedite revisions of the map to be less strict. FEMA needs to forget pilings on all homes that are still standing, PERIOD! If they want to impose that building code for new construction in V zones then so be it, but if they insist on them with homes that are structurally sound and just need to be elevated then their real agenda is to destroy the East Coast economy. If our financial institutions don't start focusing on this crisis and continue to be foreclosure paper pushers then those paper pushers will most likely get the opportunity to be on the other side of the foreclosure process when the banks go under.

@Karen M, From all that I have been told by many many professionals, the person that told you that from the NFIP is wrong. What the town is capable of doing is giving you a permit that does not address coming into compliance with the new elevation regulations. So you can rebuild and then elevate later, unless you are on a slab, then you need to elevate first. Hopefully, the rules will be reduced at a later date but who knows. Most towns, including TR are doing that but they know that the new rules are coming so they will be tracking the homes that were given permits to ensure that they come into compliance within the allotted time which I believe is 2 years. Plus you will not be able to sell your home without coming into compliance so it would appear that the NFIP person was just trying to deflect the blame and withhold the inevitable repercussions if you don't elevate your house to their new standards.

Four houses in our neighborhood that is now classified as being in a V zone, were built on 9 or 10 foot pilings and as a result came through the storm with their homes intact and dry. So those of us who did the right thing and went beyond the flimsy local building codes are now going to be punished or very likely pushed out because the same Town supplied flimsy data to Fema.

Time to move on and out of the State of NJ.

Kelly says "we have to live" with this mismanaged disaster. Why? Governor Christie is a nice man but he is making a huge mistake by just going along with FEMA's completely out of date data and labels.

Now if Kelly plans to just live with it, he and those who think like him including the Governor, will not be in office much longer.

We the little folks are being shafted and to make it worse we are forced to pay for all of the civil servants' horrible judgement via the highest taxes in the land. So I agree, this county is headed for destruction in good part because next to no "leaders" give a hoot about we who fund them.

I have lived a long life and never seen the despair I have seen since late October. There is no compassion, no money, no reasonable standards so one by one folks are leaving not just Ocean County but the State of New Jersey which is one unholy mess.

bernie your right i am in little egg harbor and people are starting to walk away because of the v zone

So I ask where are the Ocean County Freeloader? Happy Gilmore? Gov Chrisco?
Sen whats in it for me Connors ?

You are right but obviously we dont have one Christie is an idiot .He should not agree with the new FEMA maps.

I think that the vision of Ocean County's future is becoming crystal clear to even the most out of touch politicians. If they do not fight the Federal "FEMA" Guidelines, they won't have much left to govern. That will make their job of balancing a budget much harder and there won't be as many paying taxpayers to place that increased burden on. It is a vicious cycle where we all lose if they don't take on the Huge Fight immediately.

You're right. I just saw a commercial for Myrtle Beach. They are not wasting any time.

i agree patricia we need HELP!!!!

This is another trick of the insurance companies to make more money The new FEMA maps are a joke and the funny part is that our governor agreed on it.I wonder if he is making any money from the insurance companies or maybe own stock in a lot of them.

Patricia, FEMA is the bank for the Insurance Companies, we can scream at them until we are blue in the face but they only have the money they get from FEMA. Who knew before this mess?! So pressure the insurance companies but also put a greater pressure on our officials who represent us in Washington. This is not a local issue, this is a Federal Agency that appears to have made their map out of Sand Art, just arbitrarily dropping sand into a bottle and if it piles up in one specific area then that's a V zone. I think that FEMA has proven to all that they are not only fiscally mismanaged but managed by fools in every other way too. Write to every NJ official you know and implore them to fight the Feds. We keep saying that we are Jersey Strong but now it's time to show Washington what that truly means!

They don't even return EMAILS or even acknowledge receipt of same. I guess responding to their taxpayers drops to last place on their priorities list once they get elected and re-elected. I can't get any responses from Mayor of TR or my council woman. The PLAN they have is making sure they do everything to get re-elected.

GOD BLESS YOU Thats the truth.

Chief most of the time, even though you have an untraditional style, I tend to agree with you but Come On, save the locals bashing for something that they control. We all know that this is bigger than them. If you want to drive them nuts then just keep sending them emails telling them that they need to fight the Feds and that it's their responsibility but skimming and corruption did not cause this crisis. @ Mike Capo, do you copy every councilperson or only the Mayor and your Ward? Why stop there copy all of them and the Department heads. Someone else may take notice and do something, remember there are some councilpeople that are in the same boat.

The government should pay everyone that has to raise due to ther regulations and the new flood maps. I am so sorry for your mom.

My 77 yr old mom is in BHW on cinder blocks, but can't afford to raise her home. I'm not even sure she'll be able to afford the flood ins. The main reason she moved there was to be in a ranch with no (or very few) steps. Something needs to be done to help the seniors in the affect areas. They will walk away ... The politicians just don't care!

Nancy, I am sorry for your mother's loss. My 84 year old mother is now dealing with the loss of her home. With all the damage done, she cannot afford to rebuild and raise the home. We now have to sell. Many will state that it's their problem because they had no flood insurance, but if you didn't live in a flood zone, how are they supposed to pay for it?

Add the disabled to that list.

Many people, may they be senior citizens or disabled people cannot climb stairs. The new FEMA regluations seem to discriminate against the disabled and the elderly.

Guess the liberal freaks who crafted the new FEMA reglulations never considered those two taxpaying categories...

i am not as old as your mom but i too am disabled and have trouble with walking climbing stairs etc..now the house we remodeled so i could have a bedroom on the first floor and 3 steps to enter has to be raised another 4 ft..really how are we supposed to afford that and can i get money for a lift of some kind i doubt it..i also doubt we qualify for any money. had flood insurance and try to do everything like a responsible person, seems like we are the ones being punished for doing the right thing

Nancy I feel the same way as TerriLynn, if we ar forced to raise then our insurance or FEMA should cover the expense, end of story. They allowed people to build at this elevation, and now want to change the game plan at our expense? That way you could raise the house and sell it. Your mom might be uprooted temporarily but then would at least be financially compensated and able to get another place. I am devastated for the elderly, like your mom, who are caught up in this nightmare.

This is a great idea.....

Wow that's a great idea! We need to get it to the Motor Vehicle Commission so they can get it approved by whoever. Right away, Craig will you do that?

You do not want the goverment to buy your house because they will not pay you enough for it But you want your mayor to fight for you and so far he does not.

Okay chief, are you paying? was told have to pay them. ?? was told will be adjusted? see post!

The only people telling you must pay , are the takers , whose pay checks depend on you paying that property tax bill extortion that must will not receive anything in return on. Hold onto your money , honey. It's the only chance you got.

NOT ME CHIEF!!

You should fight them because your house lost a lot of value.

Same here, but maybe I can answer about the water. I went to the Town Hall today, since my water bill was also $51.26. I told them that it can only cover 1 month since we had no water from 10/29, and since we lost our water meter, how the hell did they decide on this figure? She said that is the MINIMUM set per month. They do not call back when you leave messages unless you ask if you happen to pay something. Then they respond and the answer is always YES. I am withholding property taxes. What will happen? They cannot foreclose on your property for that. What they do is tack on interest. I will deal with that later. I feel that we all really need to take a stand and not be paying without services. Remember, NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION? If we were all to hold off, it would send a message that we mean business. Give us answers. Help us. Then we will pay our taxes just we always have.

But what they don't seem to understand is that you can rebuild boardwalks and piers, but if you don't have homes for vactioners to rent where in the hell are these people going to stay? No one will come here knowing that. I would rather go south.

I could not agree more.

The folks who suffered Katrina made out very well, compared to the Gulf Oil spill, and the Midwest Flood victims. They received nothing. BP Oil has paid the US Govt, but as usual, that money has been allocated for 'other things.'

If Sandy victims think the Community Organizer gives two hoots about those who live at the shore - or better yet - those with a second home at the shore, you'd better think again. He made ONE visit prior to the election, and was re-elected. He's moved on to other, more important things like sending US tax dollars to fund the Mulsim Brotherhood, build hospitals and schools throughout the Middle East, and, lest we forget his twenty million dollar Hawaiian Christmas vacation.

I dont think most are expecting the government to cover our hurt at all. We are all tax paying citizens who worked hard for our homes. Many of us had insurance that we paid for. We want our fair share from what we paid. Those who didnt have it, ARE entitled to FEMA so they should get it and not be waiting 3 months or more. What we are really concerned about is the GOVERNMENT TAKING FROM US, not giving to us. It is the regulations of us having to rebuild our homes and paying exhorbitant and totally unrealistic prices for insurance. We, who own homes by the shore already pay very high prices in insurance and we accepted that. It is the idea of us having to gut our homes, then be told we now have to either demolish them, raise them, or pay an extra 30K per year. TO THE GOVERNMENT.

@Windsailor, your comments are insulting, we aren't looking for surrogate parents, I for one paid flood insurance for maximum coverage for the past 17 years. I am on day 94, I believe, without one dime. That is not "expecting government to cover our hurt and being foolish", it's actually the contract that we signed with our insurance company who unbeknownst to many of us has been funded by FEMA all along. So bottom line is that negativity is the last thing that we all need to read right now. @JerseyTomato The Community Organizer who is in charge has put into motion a path of economic destruction that we may never come out of. What has happened to us with this Storm as compared to how the "VICTIMS" of Katrina were treated is a tell-tale sign of what the real agenda is. God help all of us, that's why we need to stop hating our local officials and start trying to band together because we need all the strength that we can get.

I was told the same thing by Wells Fargo, my mortgage company. I asked them how will I be able to afford the higher flood insurance which they mandate me having and they said they'll pay it and bill me at 4.8 interest to boot! What the heck is happening? I planned on remodeling and getting back in now I can't because of the flood elevations mandates. This is horrific.

@Cindy, the banks are unestimating how many people will not commit to that deal and walk away. They need to get the real picture here. They can be arrogant all they want talking about 4.8 % interest but when they are stuck with more houses that are unlivable then any other time in history they will be begging to make better deals and hopefully it's not too late.

End ALL Foreign aid

Mitt said Fema is immoral
I say magic underwear is

I can forgive magic underwear since Mitt was correct about FEMA being immoral.

Some of them, at least one, has been affected severely, just like the barrier island but this is a fight against a Federal Agency backed by our President. This is not nearly as simple as some people want to think that it is. Please stop thinking that this is a Barrier Island vs Mainland issue, it truly isn't. The damage in Ortley is beyond comprehension and all of us know it and are shaken to the core. Ortley is TR and TR is Ortley. It is the first time that most of us have ever felt like we were hit by a bomb. The infrastructure over there is a mess and it is no different for Mantoloking. Truthfully the problem is not only trying to restore the infrastructure of Ortley but the concern that when FEMA reviews their "Zones" that they will classify some areas worse then they already are. The whole situation is a nightmare that many of us would like to wake up from very soon, but that is not likely.

Are you? I know I am. WHO ELSE?

End All Foreign aid!

Take a ride through Asbury lately (before the storm)? It has come along way from the days of the abandoned homes. It would seem as if it was more of a reboot for the town as it looks great now as it has been rebuilding. It did however take time and a lot of things needed to be corrected before it started to come back.

I have said it before and I will say it again. "I DID NOT PAY MY TAXES AND WILL NOT AS OF NOW". I put my tax money in the bank in an escrow account. And I sent TR tax department a certified letter. It stated, ("That as long as my home is inhabitable with no standards set for rebuilding from you. Until it is reappraised, which I sent in my appeal. I basically have a piece of land with a shack sitting there, with the first floor completely gutting that you let me go visit 3 days on, 1 day off. My taxes will be held in escrow until a decision is made as to what can be done with the property and it is reappraised.") YES, its NOT legal. But do you really think that they are going to foreclose, I don't! And with the time span that that would take to happen. All the other instances would fall into place.

@Resident of Lacey, I agree that Asbury is looking better but you might want to research the methods that have been used to infuse money into that town. It most likely isn't something that you would approve of if it were your town.

Hurrican Sandy,

The town doesn't foreclose on your property. That would be the mortgage company. The town will sell your tax lien. There are companies with investors who have created a business doing this. I believe they legally can charge 18% interest on your tax lien. I believe you then have 2 years to pay the lien holder back with interest before they can take your property. Your taxes have to be behind for more than a year, at least in my town, before there is a tax sale.

If you filled out the proper paperwork for a reassment, it may take a while but you will get a reassment. It just may not be what you think it should be.

Ginger you are one ignorant person...Most of people your refer to as "Bennys" own 2nd homes in OC and keep the area 3rd class piney's employed. So if we "Benny's decide to pull the tent on this little circus your not going to like the outcome...Careful what you wish for.

You are aware that Ortley Beach is a part of Toms River. The homes there pay high taxes and use less services then the mainland. The people of Ortley subsidize your taxes. Ginger unless your birth certifacate says Toms River you to were a benny

Just so you know, I have a guest house on my property at SSH that I rent in order to keep my house. Without the rentals, I cannot keep it. Since I love my home and care for it, I only rent to families. All my tenants are repeaters and are lovely people. Not one neighbor has ever complained and therefore, I and they, are contributing to the town positively. NJ needs its tourists, and that's a fact. I agree that SSH needs to clean up its act, but without the tourism, it will die.

thanks sandy,

You seem to be the reason the "pineys" don't want the "bennys" around. Arrogant and full of self-worth. Notice how you capitalize bennys and not pineys. Very telling.

to thanks sandy Laura is correct its people like you that put the bitter taste in our mouths about bennies..I also resent you calling me ignorant because my opinion differs from yours..The 3rd class pineys you negatively refer to live here year round or own and pay taxes on a summer home..So to you i say please pull up your tent on our little circus and get out..that is what i am wishing for..that we can rebuild a clean decent seaside hts and rid ourselves of the slum landlords that dont care about our area they just want to line their pockets at our expense.

When it the million benny march?

I agree Judy. We need to start an OCCUPY the Barrier Island or something. But here is the reason why we can't. It's the dead of winter and freezing, and most of us work. We are not the freeloaders like the OCW crowd was and we have the weather working against us.

@ donald hinman, your suggestion:

"...They think that money just grows on trees. Like the government can just start printing more. Well guess what.. it just doesn't work like that..."

makes me wonder what country you are talking about.

well we know Donald either voted for mitt the magic underwear guy who said fema is immoral or is a hypocrite

not looking for a hand out! we paid for flood ins for 15 years,and flood ins is backed by the government and now that we have our first claim, yes, we expect to be treated
with payment We did the right thing in paying every year, it is not a hand out!

You have got to be kidding me! We PAY our insurance so that they can essentially give us back our own money when something like this happens. We are NOT looking for a hand out..just what is due to us in a timely fashion. You have obviously NOT been effected by the storm so just say nothing instead of making a TOTALLY IGNORANT comment.

Donald Hinman - 'Stop hiding behind our flag.' Talk about a pile of steaming dog excretement! You openly post how you pay illegals to do the work you are too freaking lazy to do yourself, and you want to bash those who've lost everything? Let me guess - your going to spew your self righteous, hypocritical, contradicting blather, AGAIN?

uh Donald, we paid for our insurance. In most cases, we paid more than we are asking to get back. Rethink what you wrote please.

@ donald, I would presume then that you do not carry collision on your car. If you do then you should drop it because why should you expect a "bailout" from your insurance company if your car is wrecked? That is that reason that we have insurance Donald, otherwise we should just put our own money in "escrow" so that we can use it for unforseen disasters like this. Our mortgage companies insist that we pay Homeowners and Flood in a flood zone. If they insist that we hold this insurance then the companies that we enter into contract with must be ethical. Do you disagree?

Freeholder Kelly said that we need "to live with it?" OMG, he is more out of touch then I realized. Governor Christie did what he needed to do to ensure that NJ was eligible for the FEMA $ now that it was going to be approved. I am confident that he still expects all the officials of NJ to band together and fight these ridiculous zones. NO Freeholder Kelly you do not get to hide behind the Governor this time. The Governor is doing his job, so start doing yours!

I disagree Ed I believe that the "Steaks Unlimited Customer" answers to no one not even Happy Gilmore. And I really hope that I am right.

@mr henry, the cold hard facts are that citizens ravaged by a natural disaster, such as a wildfire, often receive federal assistance from FEMA and other organizations. This occurs in the event of earthquakes and tornadoes as well, even if the VICTIMS are situated in high hazard zones. The difference is that the latter are not being strong armed by the threat of usurious insurance policy rates if they don't conform to eleventh hour re regulating by a monopoly. As to your suggestion that towns should have been insured against a calamity of this magnitude, shows how little you know about municipalities that are composed of federal, state, county infrastructure and property. It is much more complex than your broad stroke of a keyboard suggests. Finally, if you think your taxes( I assume you mean property) will go down as a result of ridiculous regulations that drive down property values and drive up foreclosure rates, you are sadly mistaken. Want taxes to go down, start by contacting your representatives at every level of government and advise them how crucial a robust economy in the northeast is to well being of the nation.

@proud,,I take it you have learned all this imforation from going to meetings and what you have been told..Truth is Fema does not stand for free money..They make peoples home habitabal again but as far as free money to replace it if you did not have insurance no I dont believe you know what your talking about...People that build anywhere take risks and the insurance is a way to offset such risks..If the goverment gave free money everytime there was a disastor who would buy insurance. Sorry for your loss if you have one ..Im finding the best way to restore your home is to do it yourself and waitting on the goverment to start handouts is only good if your a politician...and yes towns do have insurance just like any homeowner would..

sounds good and logical but not happening...

@mr henry, I find it amusing, albeit dissparraging that you contend that I don't know what I'm talking about, when clearly you do not.

Mr Henry, you are clueless. All contracts need to be spelled out to make them enforceable. If you pay flood insurance then you have a reasonable expectation that the company will compensate you in the event that you have a flood. When historically not one other natural disaster has ever caused people to have to incur an expense that could exceed $50,000 to $100,000 to raise their properties, in essence, the insurance company changing the rules in the middle of the game is actually holding us hostage.

@proud, I agree with you 100% except that I believe that the People in Charge in Washington know exactly who influential our part of the Nation is and that's why they are in no hurry to make us strong again.

@TR voice of reason...I am far from clueless and having read your other responces you dont seem to have a grasp on the situation at all other than you want money and everything to return to its wonderful time before Sandy..sorry but that ship has sailed..For everyone that had flood insurance there is 3 that didnt..the amount of money to replace roads and buildings in towns along with removal and disposal was and will be burdening our children in years to come. I agree that everyone with insurance should be made whole again but to the point they were at .If at that point the goverment wants to change the flood insurance rates well thats thier choice and nothing you or I can do about it..Making new rules it what they have done best for year..ask any native american or anyone hat has ever recieved notice from them that they need your property .Clueless I think not..

@mr henry, you said:".the amount of money to replace roads and buildings in towns along with removal and disposal was and will be burdening our children in years to come." If the if the roads and buildings were not disposed of as well as removed, would your children not be burdened for years to come? You could not possibly believe that insurance claim payouts could even begin to address the impact of the storm on the tri state area. New Jersey, New York and Connecticut pay 15% of federal tax in this country and are integral to it's financial stability. It is in the Nation's interest to revitalize, rather than extraordinarily depreciate the net asset value of this region by pulling the rugs out from under it's residents and businesses. This region done so in folds for decades for our fellow Americans. FEMA and the N F I P are doing just that. They are roobbing Peter to pay Paul with Sally's money. A free market for flood insurance would not allow this. Prices would come into equilibrium via supply and demand. The Government then could play their intended role and responsibly regulate said industry to keep the piggies in line. You do NOT get the whole picture @ Mr. Henry, and, as to being clueless, I would contend the adverse. I also believe that your children are just a tad older than you might like us to believe.

@Proud , not sure what point your trying to make Proud other than you believe in something not sure what..Fact is if you had no insurance and took money to fix your house from fema they now own you..if you had insurance and fixed your house but it is lower than they want it to be you must pay or move so again they own you. At this point the Governor has said property buy outs are still a option...nice now you have a public crabbing lot next door to your house..My children will be paying back money for the rest of thier lives from this and in the end a few will have gotten richer with your and mine tax dollar...sad truth is money flows and not all of it gets to the proper places.If you wish to argue that the Goverment is not out to harm you I will agree if you wish to agree they are not out to help you I will agree to that to ,,I take it you have a civil service job or you wouldnt be so blind to the situation unfolding around the state. have a great day

Hello Karly, I think that I can clear that up for you. Not to put words in "tom"s mouth, but we are in that AEvs.V situation. We decided to wait this whole mess out. Not to rebuild until the flood map is either changed or finalized as is. If we rebuild for the AE zone and find out that we have to comply to the new V zone, we will lose everything we invest in rebuilding. Why put good money on top of bad? If we stay V, then we have to consider ALL our options, which will include tearing down our home to sell the lot, or possibly rebuild if we can find the financing to do so. There is really no practical, affordable way to get our old house up on pilings if we do not change the V. It's too old with many additions. The cost would far exceed the value of the house. Insurance costs if we don't raise it will simply be out of reach. It is breaking our hearts. We feel that continuing to live upstairs and waiting to find out exactly what the requirements will be is the best financial decision for us at this time. I'm not saying it's easy - If I have to eat one more rotisserie chicken (no kitchen), I will scream! I really resent being put in this situation by FEMA and Christie, but we don't have any choice the way things stand today.

The property owne exceding the height requirement could apply for a variance claiming the new standards are are hardship.

TomsBoy I heard that TR was going to lift the height restriction in Sandy damaged homes, you might want to call the building dept to confirm.

Peter, It's time to sue the insurance company. Sadly, it's the way of insurance today - as long as they think they can force FEMA to pay, insurance companies will deny claims. Sick but true.

Look for a good insurance litigator.

You had flood insurance and you were denied payment? What was the reason?

@jerseytomato, the insurance companies aren't trying to force FEMA to pay, FEMA is their "bank," who knew before this disaster that FEMA was the keeper of the funds for all our insurance companies?

@ Voice of reason..anyone that was alive and had a Brain after Katrina knew!!!

Do you have a Public Adjuster working for you? If not I would find a reputable one and let them get a percentage of any money they get for you above what you already were given. And do not tear down unless you have an approved permit to rebuild because if you tear down you will have to abide by whatever zoning codes are in affect.

Raising your home does not change the footprint unless you alter the footprint. Just going straight up does not change the footprint.

No raising your house does not change your footprint. Only expanding out in some way changes your footprint. Height is not relevant for a footprint.

Really, ever been to Gilford Park? White Trash heaven to say the least.

I have a friend who lived across the street from a million dollar home on the water. My friends home is a modest 1960s ranch house wth a natural landscaped yard. The million dollar home was perfectly manicured and in your face look at how much money I spend on my landscaping . The "rich" guy used to fight with my friend and call the town and complain about the lack of upkeep on my friends property. It got to the point were they stopped talking to each other about 3 years ago because the "rich" guy kept calling my friend "white trash". Guess what....the hurricane wiped out the million dolar home, his 2 cars and his boat and swimmimg pool. My white trash friends house was left in perfect condition. He lost his furnance and a/c unit. The "rich" guy is now living in his mothers house with his wife and kids and will probably walk away from his house and mortgage, while my white trash friends sits in his modest house nice and warm and dry.

dear debby.. i am going to jump out there and assume you can read.. therefore GO BACK over my last 2 posts before you comment on my post..WHO ever said ANYONE was white trash seaside ortley toms river or anywhere else..please DONOT put words in my mouth!! I have done more than my share of helping residents.. I am ON THE RESIDENTS SIDE and how they are being jerked around by the twp and fema.HOWEVER i still stand with what i said.. HOMEOWNERS who pay taxes on the barrier islands are NOT bennys...The day trippers week stayers with 20 kids renting one house for the greedy landlords are a blight and a problem and save ALL of us nothing on taxes..SOOO if they go to myrtle beach hooray!!

Elevator, electric lift?

Pat Faia. You are correct . And that failure to maintain dunes should be one of the basis of a class action lawsuit against Toms River. If for no other reason than to give an accurate accounting of how the beach badge revenue was spent. (or whose pocket it went into).

Im on the southern border of Ortley, but in SSH. Due to my location, my area suffered as badly as Ortley. SSH is bragging about how they are getting all back and how people are moving back. We are still a disaster area. It was due to being in an area that was not protected at the end of SSH that we suffered so greatly. And to think, the reason we purchased there was because it wasn't typical SSH and was just next to Ortley. Talk about getting screwed.

Ortley Beach and Toms river are one and the same. You cannot sue yourself. There were multiple breeches from Mantoloking and Normandy including Ortley. Which water flooded your home? The water that came through the Mantoloking Inlet or the water that came through the Ortley Beach canal? Get real and stop making the lawyers salivate. They are already thinking of ways to spend the money from all of the billable hours that lawsuits would generate. To borrow a phrase, "If we don't hang together, we will all hand separately."

PEOPLE KEEP ON VOTING THOSE IDIOTS IN,BLAME YOURSELF.GO OUT AND VOTE.

i know what you mean carol! how about if you had no water inside just lucky for sure..but heating air etc ruined from crawl space flood..i am now disabled also..so lifting up my home will be difficult for me, how will steps fit in garage? wont be room for my car..endless questions endless money endless problems

one of the smart ones

stopor...how much lower are the taxes if lot is empty?? my husband has been there
working by himself to repair...secondary home, no ins...wondering if its worth it or
leave lot empty. took out home equity 5 yrs. ago...owe alot of $ on it.

I wrote to the Robin Hood Foundation, who created the benefit for Sandy victims. I asked them where the money went since nobody in Ocean County has seen any. This was 2 weeks ago. No response.

Sure!!!! Good Luck with that!!!

No more grandfathering. It's dead and you'll pay more, lots more!

@Bev, President OFEMA via the N F I P are doing away with grandfathering. The information on Floodsmart is outdated. Be confident that the real information will be updated when FEMA figures out what they are doing and update the FIRM maps so property owners can finally assess the consequences of their actions, or inactions , as it were.

Listen...the vultures are back: the same investors who nearly bought down the economy...collapsing the housing market, wants to rid you of your miser-y. . .and given now that you have two key enablers like President Obama(FEMA) and as some call him, Governor Krispy Creme. . .there going to accomplish it.

Their agents of doom better known as realtors have been sending out letters saying... this is where I best can be of [help] to you(emphasis added) We have in house [investors] who are interested in buying storm damaged properties, regardless of condition and can offer a quick closing. Please feel free to reach out to me for(here's that word again) ...HELP!

So do you think when the Governor put his arm around Obama after Sandy, he was concerned about your plythe and misfortunes...

...maybe you won't have to come back from Florida?

Make sure you have hurricane insurance.

If your trying to figure out how high you may have to go up, I was told take your certificate number and subtract that from your new ABFE that is the minimum you need to go up, plus the 2' Christie also suggets. You need a surveyor to prepare an elevation certificate for your property and to certify that the lowest adjacent grade (the lowest ground touching the structure) is equal to or higher than the base flood elevation. This is what I was told if you want to dispute the zone change. Bring that info to your town engineer to dispute the chnage because only they can change the zone, not Fema and that came directly from the Fema Map person.

@ Part Timer, the advised base flood elevation for a finished first floor varies from zone to zone. FEMA has an interactive ABFE map online that can give the information that you seek. The 1% eelvation (100 year flood base)is what is being advised a standard for building, elevating or trying to lower flood insurance premiums when the feds figure out what they are doing, which is expected to be in 2014, but you'll have a better idea in August of this year. the map also provides a five hundred year base (.02%) flood elevation (generally two feet higher), that supposedly would half your flood insurance premium, then if you were to build at the advised elevation that New Jersey has adopted as their standard. Additionally, ( check this out@Karen M), I just heard that the Governor has tacked on another one foot of freeboard, meaning that the standard in most cases had risen 50% in just this past week I am looking to confirm whether or not that is true, if anyone has information on it.

My guess is that in Toms River they would find a way to charge as much for a vacant lot than if it had a house on it.

If you are not up here dealing with it then it will be impossible. It's already impossible for many who are here.
You are likely in a new flood zone that says you must raise you home. If in a "V" zone then it must be pilings. If you had 51% damage you can get 30k but that will probably not be near enough IF it can be done at all and IF you can get someone to do it. BUT the maps may be flawed and they are not final so they could change. In the mean time your rates will increase 25%/year to up to 30k/year if you remain in a high flood zone and do nothing to raise it.
If you do get the 30k grant then that means your place is 51% damaged and the town may force you to comply with all current building codes. Like fire rated siding and windows if close to a neighbor, etc. You may have to replace things that are fine under older codes.
Shooting yourself will be less painful.

Christine Ct.? I'm sure that isn't a "V" zone. But probably still have to raise it. If that is a slab I think it's impossible.

Yes its an ICC (Increased Cost Compliance). But guess what, its going to cost a heck of alot more to raise your home. I just got a quote and I almost fell off my chair. I have a 1500 square foot cape, with a 3 season proch and a fireplace. Well, I was told because i have the porch, which by the way is an additional $8, 000 to raise and the chimney, which is more because of its weight, I got an estimate for almost $74,000. Where in god's name do they expect me to come up with the additional $ 44,000 I will need in order to raise. Oh and by the way, I asked about the whole idea about insurance being $30,000 and I was told it will not be that high. The person I spoke with said the average person can expect to pay around $7,000 a year. Even that's crazy.

and beaver dam would be where? is toms river? if so, go to the toms river website.
http://tomsrivertownship.com/
you should be able to get any information you need there. Or you can read the Patch for the articles. Toms River Twsp. does Post plenty of info. Hope you can get help.

So all your "homes" were empty before the storm?

3 of them were which was a blessing as I was able to rent them out for more supply and demand! Fistful of dollars!

@Sal, I don't have a problem with building higher, but what I have a problem with is the cost to go up. A $ 74,380.00 and that doesn't include the $8,000 to lift a 3 season porch or the cost of the fireplace, or any ductwork, pipes electrical etc that are below the floor joists that need to be removed, nor does it cover the engineer, or gravel, fill, and whatever else you'd like to add in. What the hell am I paying for? $74,380.00 for what? So you see why people are in a panic, because who has that kind of money laying around. My tree died in the backyard about 5 years ago, its not growing money anymore. I can't afford what the governement is suggesting. I have no objections about raising my home, but why at my age do I want to take on further debt? BY the way Sal, I spoke with Bonnie Flynn who is the head of Community Development for Stafford Twp and she is well versed in everything FEMA and she told me that she spoke with someone from Fema who is supposed to be knowledgable in regards to insurance and he didn't know the regulations. She was very straight forward with her info and that's where I've been getting my information. You can look her up on Stafford Twp's website she is a planner and she knows about these maps and everything that goes along with them. I for one have gone onto the Fema website and found it to be confusing to try and find what you're looking for. There's just way too much stuff to research through.

@CanWeTalk? Seaside heights is not part of Dover South or Toms River township. Seaside Heights is located at 39°56′42″N 74°04′44″W (39.944978,-74.078783). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.746 square miles (1.933 km2), of which, 0.619 square miles (1.604 km2) of it is land and 0.127 square miles (0.329 km2) of it (17.02%) is water.[22][5] .
What is important to know is that the areas within Toms River township (whether they are incorporated or not) pay property tax to Toms River Township and are provided services by them.

@CanWeTalk? Seaside heights is not part of Dover South or Toms River township. Seaside Heights is located at 39°56′42″N 74°04′44″W (39.944978,-74.078783). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.746 square miles (1.933 km2), of which, 0.619 square miles (1.604 km2) of it is land and 0.127 square miles (0.329 km2) of it (17.02%) is water.[22][5] .
What is important to know is that the areas within Toms River township (whether they are incorporated or not) pay property tax to Toms River Township and are provided services by them.
Hope that helps and you're welcome.

As long as you have the money to pay cash elsewhere since your credit will be ruined, you can go.

Maybe everyone affected should post "4-Sale" signs in front of the wreckage and see what the real estate fairy brings us. I'm thinking of doing just that. Put up a sign, see who bites and what they have to offer and GTF out. Maybe when Hovsans rebuilds Holiday on the Bay they might want to redevelop the entire western shore of Barnegat Bay? Just imagine, condos as far as the eye can see.

In separate interviews, Moran and her husband, Matt Doherty, said they were aware of potential conflicts and made sure they had nothing to do with the selection of AshBritt or Ferriera.

“My firm does not lobby and I do no business in Belmar, period,” Moran said. She said she went to upstate New York with her children before the storm hit and “did not communicate with my husband or anyone in the borough about how they chose to manage the cleanup.”

After Conti hired her, Moran said she recused herself from any dealings the company had with Belmar “to avoid even an appearance of impropriety.”

Why dont these public officials who sleep with each each other , ever seem to take each others last names......could it be to keep as many layers on the onion of corruption and croynism........

You all can believe their BS , not me, NOT NEVER !!

@UNCLE BOB.................Get a "FOR SALE BY OWNER SIGN" there is no such thing as a "REAL ESTATE FAIRY" Just another group of MONEY GRUBBING THEIVES. Sorry for the few honest ones, but, for the most part........No, Real Estate is going to take huge percentage of what little you would get. Sell on own.

Stop getting your politically biased "info" from Faux News.

george i actually heard that this morning on the radio..jim gearhart 101.5....

Sue, clearly Proud's posts reveal his/her level of frustration with this situation. I turn you attention to his 7:55 pm post last night, which I think paints a good picture as to what is so frustrating for many. I don't have any problem with FEMA saying that the homes that have to be rebuilt need to be built at a certain elevation. That addresses your climate change concerns. But, for homes that survived Sandy without needing to be rebuilt, those homes that are located in the V zone still need to elevate according to FEMA. So, the "lucky" homeowners who managed to have a home that survived Sandy is now being forced to foot the bill to either elevate their homes or suffer massive insurance increases which will diminish the value of their homes. That "lucky" homeowner is now caught between a rock and a hard place. In addition, he probably can't even sell his home because of the damage and the impending doom of being in a V zone without proper elevation. It's not right. If FEMA wants to use climate change as a means to justify all of these new elevations, then FEMA should be willing to make a fair offer to those whose homes do not need to be knocked down but which are along the coastline.