Gov. Chris Christie predicted the Federal Emergency Management Agency will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December, according to news reports. Those maps place many more properties in flood zones, requiring many of them to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates soar, according to reports. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov. Christie at Thursday's town hall meeting. He was addressing a packed crowd of …

Think raising homes is a relatively new practice in a time of increasingly severe weather? Think again. Nearly 100 years ago, homes were being elevated on Galveston Island in Texas, four years after the devastating hurricane that swept away thousands of lives. Early elevation techniques of homes on the island involved "very primitive" wood cribbing and manual jacks. But as the practice took hold and bulkheads were built around the island, lives were saved in future storms, said Roderick Scott, a hazard mitigation and historic resource specialist for Louisiana-based L&R Resources. Scott was …

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, along with the Rutgers Constitutional Litigation Clinic, is calling for transparency and greater public input when it comes to spending federal dollars on Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. The organizations jointly submitted a letter to the state Department of Community Affairs Tuesday asking for opportunities for the public to discuss plans put in place to spend portions of the more than $50 billion approved by Congress in January as part of Sandy relief bill HR 152.  The DCA released a draft of its spending plan to the public one week …

  More than 1,500 homes in Berkeley Township were damaged, some severely, when Superstorm Sandy slammed into Berkeley Township on Oct. 29, according to the state Department of Community Affairs. The total number of homes damaged was 1,556. Of that amount, 187 homes had severe damage, 727 homes had major damage and 642 had minor damage, according to figures released by DCA. The storm also impacted 933 businesses and 172 rental units. Twelve rental units had severe damage, 57 had major damage and 103 had minor damage, the report states. Severe damage is defined as more than $28,800. Major …

No one could have imagined that when we left our homes on October 28 that when we returned our lives would never be the same.  The destruction, despair and sadness still remain over four months later. I personally knew that as a resident of the barrier islands I needed to do something to help, but didn't know where to begin. I decided as the holidays were approaching that I needed to show those who heroically helped during the storm that we truly appreciated all they did for us. This is how I met most of you through my initial event of Christmas On The Island. After that amazing event that …

Applications for federal disaster assistance are due in just two weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced recently, giving Hurricane Sandy victims who suffered storm-related damages a deadline of April 1 to apply. The disaster aid application deadline has been extended several times already following the late October storm, though the extensions require a request from the governor's office and are not guaranteed. Because of this FEMA encourages those seeking assistance not to wait to register with FEMA and apply for aid. April 1 is also the deadline to return …

The newly-opened Home Depot satellite location in Seaside Heights will play a "central" part in helping local barrier island residents recover from Superstorm Sandy, said Gov. Chris Christie.  "Home Depot is going to be a place that is going to be central to providing us with the supplies we need to make the recovery real and the assistance that we need to help folks get their work done as quickly as possible," Christie said during a Monday morning grand opening celebration.  The store, located on Sumner Avenue in the same building as the White Pearl Hotel, employs disaster specialists with …

Locals were excited to see Mayor Bill Akers drill in the first boards of Seaside Heights's new boardwalk at a ceremony held outside of the Beachcomber this past Sunday. However, they still have mixed feelings about how ready the Shore town is for its first post-Sandy summer. “It’s so odd seeing people here on a Sunday in hard hats working, I wasn’t expecting that…you keep hearing, 'Oh it’s going to be open, it’s going to be open,' but I didn’t think it would be,” says P.J. Scelfo of Brick. “So, seeing this, it gives me hope that people will come down,” she added. Although hopeful, Scelfo …

Governor Christie will be in Seaside Heights today for what's being termed as the "Grand Opening of the Seaside Heights Home Depot." Christie will appear at 10:30 a.m. at the Home Depot Outdoor Tent at 201 Sumner Avenue in Seaside Heights. The event is supposed to last from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free on-site clinics, kids' workshops, product demonstrations and food and drink will be available. The governor's appearance in Seaside for the Home Deport exhibition is being hailed as a milestone in the post-Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. "This is the opening of the Home Depot's new location that is …

These issues aren’t resolved simply by the passage of time. Residents and business owners affected by Hurricane Sandy continue to struggle, even now, nearly five months after the late October storm caused massive destruction to New Jersey’s coastal communities. They want to get back into their homes, know how to adequately prepare for the next storm down the road. They want to reopen, welcome back customers who are also still reeling following Sandy. They want advice, answers. For the past several months, government employees and top-level State officials have been on the road, making stops …

It's spring break for many college students. It's time to enjoy some time off from the grind of studying. Hang out with a group of friends, head down to the shore, hit the beaches early and stay out all day. And fill up trash bags with debris.  As colleges clear out this time of year some students are eschewing typical spring break activities for volunteerism, heading to coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy to lend a hand. Beach cleanups, house demolition, reconstruction, and even something as simple, and necessary, as helping residents paint their homes are jobs being handled by…

  They got little sleep after Superstorm Sandy hit. They rose again and again to answer the call of duty. They are the volunteer firefighters of Berkeley Township. Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. and the Township Council took time out at the March 11 council meeting to honor the Bayville Volunteer Fire Company, the Manitou Park Fire Company and the Pinewald Pioneer Fire Company for all their help in 2012. "These men and women were out there answering the call over and over again," Amato said. They spent the days before the worst storm in Berkeley's history going door to door, warning people of the …

Two weeks to the day after New Jersey Transit submitted an application for federal funds to help recovery in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, it received over $144 million in aid for the first steps of recovery, NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein said on Thursday night, March 14. “Rebuilding in the aftermath of Sandy has truly been a team approach,” Weinstein said in a statement issued Thursday night. “I am grateful for the efforts of Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, our Congressional delegation, Administrator Rogoff and the FTA, as well as the leaders and staff at FEMA and the …

Berkeley Township homeowners who want a shot at receiving funds from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation program must file by today in order to be considered. Hazard Mitigation program funds are limited. Municipalities throughout the state will compete against each other for the federal funding used for elevation, demolition or acquisition, a FEMA official said at a recent informational seminar held at the Berkeley Township Elementary School. The program is separate from the National Flood Insurance Program's Increased Cost of Compensation (ICC) program, which pays up to $30,000 to elevate homes that …

A Motor Vehicle Commission database that lists vehicles issued flood or salvage titles following Hurricane Sandy has doubled in size since being introduced in January, State officials said Thursday. The purpose of the database is to protect prospective buyers of used vehicles from unknown flood damage that may not be reported by the seller. Currently, the number of vehicles with flood or salvage titles in the state database is approximately 26,000.   According to a release, it is not illegal to sell a vehicle with a flood or salvage title, but sellers are required to disclose the status of …

As New Jersey continues its reconstruction following Hurricane Sandy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hoping a recently released fact sheet will answer questions and help alleviate some concerns for residents still in the process of recovery.  Among the tidbits offered by FEMA are ways to contact the agency - there are a number of methods - when the registration deadline is set to expire - that's currently April 1, though it's been extended several times so far - and just who is eligible to apply for aid - both renters and homeowners.  The facts presented by FEMA also serve …

  The frantic call for help came from a Dogwood Drive resident as Superstorm Sandy bore down on Bayville. He had not heeded the call to evacuate. "We had a man crying on the phone," Township Council President James J. Byrnes said. "That's when Karin looked at me and I looked at her. She said we had to go get him." Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr., Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele and Byrnes sat down with Patch recently to recall how they tried to hold the town together after Sandy roared in. Four months later, they are still trying. "It doesn't feel that long," DiMichele said. "It doesn't seem like …

Toms River officials are taking steps toward securing a $5 million FEMA Community Disaster loan for damages sustained during Superstorm Sandy. The Township Council this week passed a resolution executing a collateral security in connection with the loan application, a standard practice pledging the full faith of the township's credit, said Business Administrator Paul Shives.  "In this case, the limit is $5 million per taxing entity," Shives said. As another taxing authority, Toms River school district administrators also have said that they declared their intention to apply for the loan. Toms…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is advising seniors recovering from Superstorm Sandy to be on the lookout for scam artists claiming to represent FEMA, the Small Business Administration (SBA) or the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). By going door to door to storm-damaged homes or making contact by phone or on the Internet, scam artists may try to obtain personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers or falsely claim that you need to make a payment to a federal agency. FEMA is offering residents a number of tips to ensure that they're not victims of …

Residents who have to elevate their homes in the wake of Superstorm Sandy can learn how it's done at an information session on March 20. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Berkeley Township Elementary School auditorium at 10 Emory Avenue in Bayville. "As we continue to voice our objection over the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps, it's important as a municipality we continue to provide our residents with as many resources and information as possible to help them begin to rebuild," Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. The seminar features a Power Point …