Seaside Heights and its boardwalk will be open for business this summer, and a new video from FEMA highlights the restoration efforts making that possible.  In the video, Mayor William Akers recalls the days after Superstorm Sandy.  "One of the first questions I got asked was, 'are you going to be open for the summer?'" he said. The answer is, yes.  Michael Graichen, special events spokesperson for Seaside Heights, has said the boardwalk rebuilding process continues, with May 10 set as the target date for its reopening. 

Victims of Hurricane Sandy who suffered storm-related losses have until midnight Wednesday (May 1) to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance.  Survivors can register online and check the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. May 1 is also the deadline to return applications for Small Business Administration loans, which are the primary source of federal funds for long-term …

Homes are still in disrepair following Hurricane Sandy and residents are wondering how best to rebuild. New proposed flood maps could force residents to pay tens of thousands of dollars a year in flood insurance but many still don’t know where their homes fall in the different zones. Homeowners are grappling with decisions like should they elevate or simply leave it all behind. Compounding every single one of these questions is the fact that it’s just too difficult to get a straight answer to satisfy any of them. Before a crowd of about 150 people at Berkeley Township Elementary School …

Berkeley and Lacey residents who need help dealing with Superstorm Sandy can get some answers today, when the state sets up a "mobile cabinet' at the Berkeley Township Recreation Center. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the center at 630 Route 9 South in Bayville, said Sean Conner, a spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie's office. Representatives from state and federal agencies will be on hand,including the Governor’s Office of Constituent Relations, the Department of Banking and Insurance, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Community Affairs, the Business Action …

Life in New Jersey has yet to return to normal following Hurricane Sandy, and many residents believe recovery is a process that will take years, according to results from a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The Rutgers-Eagleton poll conducted earlier this month gauged public reaction to the ongoing rebuilding and recovery effort as well as issues like coastal protection and government spending. According to poll results, 74 percent of respondents said the state is not back to normal following Sandy against 21 percent who said that it is. The remaining 5 percent reported that they were unsure. The …

Stop FEMA Now will hold a public meeting in Bayville tonight, almost half a year to the day when Superstorm Sandy roared ashore and decimated sections of Bayville, Pelican Island and South Seaside Park. “Together, we can make our voices heard from Trenton to Washington,” group founder George Kasimos said. “Mayor Amato and I invite Berkeley area residents to get the facts -- and get involved -- at our meeting on April 25." Area residents are urged to attend the meeting, which will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Township Elementary School on 10 Emory Avenue in Bayville. The …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging business owners to remind their Hurricane Sandy-impacted employees to register for disaster assistance before the application deadline expires in just one week. In terms of individual assistance, FEMA is and has provided grants to cover rental assistance, home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance. Assistance grants may also be available to help replace personal property destroyed during the storm and to help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation, and other serious disaster-related needs not…

Sam Cammarato's upscale home at the end of Teakwood Drive in the Glen Cove section of Bayville was slammed hard by Superstorm Sandy last Oct. 29. And like too many others, Cammarato - who heads the Berkeley Township Taxpayers Coalition - is worried about raising his house and paying astronomical flood insurance premiums. "I am absolutely petrified I will not be able to continue to pay these outrageous flood insurance premiums everyone has been talking about," he said during the public portion of the April 22 Township Council meeting. Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said he, Council President James …

From its humble beginnings - a few concerned residents sitting around a table in a small sub shop in Toms River - Stop FEMA Now, the grassroots organization opposed to the federal agency’s flood maps, has grown and continues to attract crowds at meetings throughout the state. Now it’s time for the second phase. Prior to a meeting in Atlantic City to discuss flood maps with residents of yet another county, Stop FEMA Now founder George Kasimos said the causes continues to grow. More and more residents continue to discover that their homes are now listed in FEMA’s flood zones, he said, and now …

The immediate needs of post-Hurricane Sandy recovery have largely been met. Residents have found temporary shelter, have made it through the winter thanks to donations of food and other supplies, and progress towards rebuilding lives continues every day. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no longer a need. On Saturday, Fashion Delivers, along with several other local volunteers organizations, distributed $1.2 million worth of shoes, toys, and clothing to residents still struggling to recovery following Sandy. The effort is part of the second stage of Sandy relief, which seeks to meet the …

New emergency rules filed by the Christie Administration with the Office of Administrative Law and the Department of Environmental Protection will help eliminate recovery red tape by easing permitting restrictions and encouraging coastal reconstruction following Hurricane Sandy, according to NJDEP.  The new rules will streamline state permits for various types of rebuilding projects, which will assist in the recovery and reconstruction of homes and businesses, as well as marinas and shellfish industries. The new rules will also expedite dredging of storm-impacted private lagoons and marinas, …

There are two weeks left for survivors of Superstorm Sandy who suffered damage to their homes to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline is midnight, May 1, according to FEMA officials. This is also the deadline for residents to return applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans. Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585, and those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-…

Mike Colombo's warm and easy going personality makes it hard for those greeted by the Right Coast Surf Shop owner to realize that just five months ago Superstorm Sandy dealt devastating blows to his home and business. The barrier island native and father of two is still dealing with the aftermath of the destruction Sandy brought to the business he has owned for over 14 years. "I still had shoes stocked on the floor and everything," he said about how little he prepared for water damage to the store. "I figured because we were centrally located between the bay and the ocean that it would be …

Ed Wright's home is one of the few left standing. But before Hurricane Sandy, it was one of the few up on pilings on his street in Mantoloking. So many others were at ground level, and a recent FEMA video implies it was the foresight to raise the home years ago that helped Wright's home survive the storm. In a dramatically damaged area of Mantoloking, FEMA found one homeowner's house had survived, and produced a video about Wright's plans years ago to raise his house, and how it impacted the home during Hurricane Sandy. FEMA's video, titled "Elevation Helps a Home Survive Hurricane Sandy," …

Getting ready to take the boat out, but worried that debris from Sandy may make it difficult? GoBoatingNJ.org may help. Since Hurricane Sandy came ashore in late October, reports of unprecedented destruction to area marine facilities have left boaters wondering if there will be a boating season in 2013, said Ed "Skip" Harrison, who is the owner of Baywood Marina, in Brick Township, and is a Board Member of the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey. The www.goboatingnj.org initiative was launched to address these concerns by providing coverage of the restoration efforts taking place each day…

  More sections of Island Beach State Park are now open to the public, nearly half a year after Superstorm Sandy tore through the park's dunes and damaged facilities. Roughly five miles of beach access points - more than half of the nearly 10-mile park - are now open, state Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin said. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, for the first time since Oct. 29, the day Sandy roared into Ocean County. “Thanks to the hard work of park staff, partnerships, volunteers and contractors, we have seen considerable progress in the cleanup and …

Damage along Barnegat Inlet's north jetty caused by Superstorm Sandy will be repaired as part of a larger project that will also include dredging the heavily-trafficked Oyster Creek Channel, officials said. The north jetty of the inlet, which runs along the south end of Island Beach State Park opposite Long Beach Island, was impacted by storm surge during Sandy, leading to shoaling which occurred at some points and the loss of some jetty rocks. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews conducted a side-scan SONAR survey of the north jetty and inspected for toe failure, said Stephen Rochette, …

The world has seen the last of Hurricane Sandy – at least in name only. The World Meteorological Organization on Thursday retired the name and will replace it with "Sarah" in 2018, the next year Sandy would have appeared in the rotation. Sandy is the 77th name to be retired from the Atlantic hurricane name list since 1954, the National Hurricane Center said in a statement Thursday. "If a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of the name would be insensitive or confusing, the WMO hurricane committee, which includes personnel from NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, may retire the name…

As the Jersey Shore continues its recovery from Superstorm Sandy, a Colorado State University professor who is widely considered a national authority on tropical weather prediction released his team's first forecast for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season – and the news isn't good for coastal residents. This year's hurricane season, which begins June 1, will be above average, the team led by Dr. William Gray predicted in a forecast issued Wednesday. The forecast team calls for 18 named storms during the hurricane season, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes and four of those major …

Boardwalk reconstruction is well underway in Seaside Heights.  With a deadline of May 10 to finish, crews have been working steadily to add boards to previously installed pilings along the 15-block stretch of planned boardwalk.  The resort town has always eyed Memorial Day as its reopening date, though it appears as though it will beat that prediction. Town officials have yet to schedule a reopening of Seaside Heights' beaches. Debris is still scattered throughout and will require additional, and thorough, beach cleanups before it's ready to go.