Sandy-Impacted Residents Urged To Apply For Home Demolition, Debris Removal Program

Berkeley Township residents who need help demolishing their homes or removing debris have until Friday to apply to the Private Property Debris Removal Program, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said.

Berkeley has gone out to bid for contractors to do the work, the mayor said at the June 10 Township Council meeting.

"If everything goes well, we will award it at the June 24 meeting," Amato said after the June 10 meeting.

Any resident whose primary home had structural damage from Superstorm Sandy can apply to participate in the PPDR program. The program also includes debris removal and trees that are "leaners," as a result of the storm, Amato said.

Residents who apply must have been Berkeley property owners as of Oct. 29, 2012, the day Sandy roared into Ocean County.

Most residents who have already applied live in the storm-battered Good Luck Point and Glen Cove sections of the township, Amato said.

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency normally requires private property owners to pay for debris removal costs, it does make exceptions, according to the FEMA website.

"However, the removal of debris from private property may be in the public interest when it is required to eliminate or lessen an immediate threat to life, public health and safety, or to eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved property," the website states. "FEMA uses this standard to evaluate requests for debris removal from private property, including gated communities, on a case-by-case basis."

Berkeley Township is currently identifying properties that may require assistance in demolishing structurally damaged homes and/or removing debris from private property.

Amato asks that residents apply as soon as possible to meet the June 14 deadline. A notarized completed Right of Entry form and copy of a homeowner's valid identification will automatically register your property into the program.

For more information and the application form, click here.