Last year, words such as "flunked" were being used to describe Jersey Central Power and Light's preparedness for Hurricane Irene. Now, after dealing with several summer storms that have knocked out power to thousands this summer, Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari is among the first to praise JCP&L. "JCP&L has been very supportive," Vicari said last week at the county Board of Freeholders' meeting. "The relationship is much better now." About 87,000 Ocean County residents were without power when Irene hit, some of them for as long as a week, suffering the loss of perishable food. Vicari was one of …

Sunday marks the first anniversary of the storm that pulled trees from their roots, flooded cars, decimated homes and businesses and left thousands without power. After Irene blew through Berkeley Township in August 2011, Berkeley Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. One year later, we're asking you: Does the storm continue to impact you? What changes did you make in and around your home? Did your business, or neighboring businesses survive the wind and flood damage? Add photos of your neighborhood from the storm, and photos today so we can see …

The Federal Emergency Management Administration is scheduled to close its Disaster Recovery Center at Brick Township Civic Plaza, Chambers Bridge Road, at the close of business this Saturday, it was announced Thursday. The FEMA center was set up so residents and business owners in Ocean County that suffered damage during Hurricane Irene could have a local location to submit claims to the agency. While the center is scheduled to close Saturday, assistance will still be available until the end of October, officials said. The final deadline to submit claims from Hurricane Irene is Oct. 31. The …

Jersey Central Power and Light Company managers flunked Hurricane Irene’s preparedness test, according to Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari, who is urging the state Board of Public Utilities to “review JCP&L’s planning procedures for this storm.’’ He said that 87,000 county residents lost power during the storm, some of them for as long as a week, suffering the loss of perishable food. He challenged the utility to have a representative attend a meeting of the county government to discuss the response to the storm. Vicari continued to insist that a regional representative hung …

Monmouth and Ocean county residents in need of governmental assistance as they recover from Hurricane Irene will be able to get face-to-face help starting this week. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a Disaster Recovery Center this weekend in the Leonardo section of Middletown for Monmouth County residents and will open a center in Brick for Ocean residents Tuesday. Field specialists will be on hand to assist residents and business owners who wonder if they qualify for federal funds after sustaining damage during the hurricane. Millions of dollars are available through the…

Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday urged those impacted by Hurricane Irene to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - and Neptune will serve as FEMA's hub site for New Jersey. Beginning Wednesday, the Joint Field Office in Neptune will serve as the field office for all federal and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management relief efforts throughout the state. "Representatives from the departments will be located here to ensure that we're all working together, officially and effectively, in a coordinated manner to get assistance to folks as quickly as possible," he said. …

As many other families were hunkering down for Hurricane Irene or evacuating, the Reabold family were spending hours looking for a valued member of their family. Amid the chaos and preparation of Hurricane Irene, as the Reabolds were rushing to secure valuables that were tied down, put in storage, sheds, garages, the Reabolds' dog Bailey escaped from their property near Fischer Boulevard in Toms River. “We were so busy preparing, we hadn’t realized that Bailey had gotten out!” said Peggy Reabold. Bailey, their beagle/Brittany spaniel mix, had slipped out without anyone in the home noticing as…

Gov. Chris Christie announced Sunday that Ocean County has been declared a major disaster area. President Obama, who visited New Jersey Sunday, made the same declaration for Monmouth County on Saturday. All 21 New Jersey counties are now eligible for relief from FEMA. "Eligibility allows New Jerseyans to apply for different types of assistance, including temporary housing, repair, replacement or other needs such as Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and Small Business Administration disaster loans," according to a release from Christie. Christie previously requested assistance for all 21 New …

After touring two northern New Jersey towns ravaged by Hurricane Irene, President Barack Obama assured residents Sunday that the federal government will help them rebuild. "We are going to make sure we provide the resources needed," Obama said while touring Paterson, a city of roughly 150,000 that witnessed severe flooding during Irene because of its proximity to the Passaic River. "I want to make it very clear we are going to meet our federal obligations." Obama visited Paterson and Wayne for an hour-and-a-half with a delegation that included Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Senators Frank …

Come visit. We’re here and open. That’s the message the Ocean County Tourism department was pushing in the days between Hurricane Irene’s retreat and Labor Day’s onset. No, the boardwalks are not destroyed. All attractions and amusements are open, to attract and amuse you. Ocean County Tourism and Public Affairs Director Barbara Steele said tourism offices have been flooded with callers wanting to verify that there’s a boardwalk to come to. She assures you, we are open. Ocean County is open for business. “In Ocean County, virtually everybody in the tourism areas tell me they are up and …

President Barack Obama has declared Monmouth County a major disaster area. But Ocean County will continue to await its fate. Congressman Frank Pallone, D-6, said he was notified of Obama's decision on Saturday. Obama also declared Middlesex County a major disaster area. Gov. Chris Christie previously requested assistance for all 21 New Jersey counties, but damage assessments need to be concluded before individual assistance can be granted to the remaining counties of Burlington, Hudson, Mercer, Ocean and Union, according to the governor's office. Sixteen New Jersey counties are now eligible …

Ocean and Monmouth counties may be eligible for disaster aid as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials work to assess damage that is still impacting thousands of residents almost a full week after Hurricane Irene stormed New Jersey. Individual residents also will be able to register to receive aid for a variety of losses regardless of whether they carry a private insurance policy.  But such FEMA monies only are available as of Friday to residents of Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties, per a federal disaster declaration made earlier this week. While the Shore continues…

On almost any other year, the focus around the Jersey Shore region this week would be on getting ready for the Labor Day Weekend. And while there is still a significant amount of excitement for the end of summer festivities, there is still a lot of work to be done to clean up from Hurricane Irene. According to AAA, before Hurricane Irene arrived last weekend more than 950 thousand people were expected to travel to our area. It is not known how many of those people will change their plans based on the damage done here and other parts of the state. "Now that we have said goodbye to Irene, more …

When it first came time to evacuate before Hurricane Irene arrived, there was no place to go in Berkeley Township. Residents were told to head to Toms River High School North or stay with family and friends. When Toms River North filled up, Toms River emergency management officials opened up other Toms River schools. In the end, the only place in town Berkeley residents had as a place of refuge was St. Maximilian Kolbe R.C. Church off Mule Road. It's the only facility in Berkeley Township with a back-up generator that could be used as a public shelter. None of the schools in the Berkeley or …

Oyster Creek Generating Station returned to service this morning after the generator was taken off line on Saturday, Aug. 27 in preparation for Hurricane Irene, officials said. “The challenges presented to Oyster Creek by Hurricane Irene this weekend were successfully met. Not only is Oyster Creek designed and maintained to withstand all that this hurricane dished out, but our highly skilled personnel were prepared and ready to protect the plant and the public,” said Site Vice President Michael Massaro. Oyster Creek began preparing for Hurricane Irene on Thursday, Aug. 25 when it entered a …

Toms River, Brick, Forked River and Point Pleasant Borough remain among the communities in Ocean County still suffering from widespread power outages. Jersey Central Power and Light was reporting an estimated 33,212 customers without power as of 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, with more than 20,000 centered in the aforementioned municipalities. While outages are affecting a wide swath of the county, many municipalities are largely back online three days after Hurricane Irene downed trees, power lines and sparked flooding throughout the region. For example, the utility is reporting seven customers offline…

While local and county officials met repeatedly before Hurricane Irene slammed into Ocean County, local marina owners here quietly worked on their own emergency management plans. Boats were hauled out of the water, put up on blocks and lashed to the ground. The bayside lot of C&C Marina off Sloop Creek Road looked like it was laced with cobwebs, owner Beth Collis said Collis and her husband sandbagged around the marina office, poured water into paddling boats to keep them stable, and helped a slew of owners tie down their boats. "God knows who much we spent on sandbags," Beth said. When it …

The Oyster Nuclear Generating Station has begun the start-up process after operators took the generator off line in preparation for Hurricane Irene, spokesperson Suzanne D’Ambrosio said. “After careful planning and conservative storm preparations, we are ready,” she said. The plant began the start-up process on Sunday evening, once Irene’s winds died down and post-storm inspections were completed. There was no storm damage to the plant, D’Ambrosio said. “In the course of a week, Oyster Creek has experienced an earthquake," she said. "Oyster Creek has experienced a hurricane of historical …

Travel through Ocean County remains difficult with numerous bridges and roads still closed in the wake of Hurricane Irene. “A number of bridges, culverts, and roads remain closed around Ocean County while we wait for flood waters to recede and assess damages left behind by Hurricane Irene,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, liaison to the Ocean County Road Department. “Detours are in place, and motorists should adhere to them. We are also in the process of removing more than 500 trees and branches that came down during the storm.” The following Ocean County bridges are closed: Vince's Bridge, …

As New Jersey begins to reassemble itself after Hurricane Irene's weekend of destruction, concerns have been raised over the quality of ocean water. On August 26, one day before the effects of Hurricane Irene began along the Jersey Shore, New Jersey Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin signed an order closing shellfish beds statewide. "This predicted precipitation, high winds and storm surge will likely result in significant flooding, power outages, sewage bypasses and sanitary sewer overflows resulting in degraded water quality," the order read. One such sewerage spill has …