Thursday, May 9, 2013
Island Beach will not be included in Army Corps of Engineers' dune and beach replenishment program
South Seaside Park resident Donald Whiteman's family has lived on the barrier island section of Berkeley Township for seven decades. And they know a washout from a storm when they see one, going all the way back to the Hurricane of 1938, he has said at more than one Berkeley Township Council meeting. Whiteman again urged township officials at the May 5 meeting to pressure the state Department of Environmental Protection to include Island Beach in the Army Corps of Engineers dune and beach replenishment program. "Residents in South Seaside Park who stayed during the storm recognized there was more than one breach," he said. "Island Beach had about five washouts." Whiteman was one of those who rode out the storm. He noticed problems at the …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Park now opened from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Island Beach State Park has returned to pre-Superstorm Sandy hours and more of the park has been opened to visitors, state Department of Environmental Protection Commission Bob Martin said. “We are keeping pace with the Christie Administration’s goal of having all of our state parks, including Island Beach State Park, fully operational for the peak summer season,” Martin said. “Having this popular destination getting closer to normal operations is emblematic of the state’s drive to have the Shore open for business this summer.’’ The park is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for all guests. Fishing access has also been extended to 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The DEP recently awarded a $268,000 contract to a New Brunswick-based Tekton Development Corp…
Monday, April 29, 2013
What do you think of the governor's statements that are angering conservative critics?
Gov. Christie told MSNBC Monday morning "the President has kept his promises" regarding Sandy relief and that he has "no complaints." Christie, a Republican with likely presidential aspirations, also said on the "Morning Joe" program that he tells his conservative critics that he was just "doing his job" when he worked with Democrat Obama in the grim weeks and months following Superstorm Sandy. Christie continues to get heat from Republicans, especially their conservative members, for his statements about how he was being "responsible" welcoming Obama and working with him when he made his early November, post-Sandy and pre-election visit to the Garden State, as noted by Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" and a former Republican …
Many storm victims have become Sandy zombies
They are easy to spot. They don't smile much. They look tired. They are tired. They are numb. They are the Sandy zombies. They are fried emotionally and physically from half a year of battling to go home, if they still have a home to go to. I am a Sandy zombie. Is it possible it's been half a year since that horrific day and night when Superstorm Sandy blasted the Jersey Shore and changed some lives forever? Six months since we left our Bayville home with three terrified cats and made our way to family in Toms River? Six months since we've been living in a basement? We knew Sandy was going to be bad, even when we evacuated at noon on Oct. 29. Trees were already toppling in Pine Beach, taking down power lines. But we didn't know then we …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Sandy victims can also still apply online for physical damages until May 1 deadline, economic damages until July 31
The federal Small Business Administration will close the SBA Disaster Center in Manahawkin on May 1, SBA spokesman Mark Jamison said. The center will close due to a "steady decrease" in activity, he said. The Manahawkin Center is located in the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce building on West Bay Avenue. Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday. Closing: May 1 at close of business day The SBA is also encouraging Hurricane Sandy survivors to visit one of the centers before they close, and reminding them the deadline to return applications for physical damage is May 1. The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 31. Survivors may also apply online using the Electronic …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Representatives from state and federal agencies will be on hand to answer storm-related questions
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 Center, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) They will assist residents and discuss ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts. Residents …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Meeting will be held at the Berkeley Township Elementary School, mayor says
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 event will focus on the latest information about the Federal Emergency Management Agency's controversial flood zone maps, building elevation requirements…
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Township Council unanimously approves resolution for bill that would amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968
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 J. Byrnes and Councilman John A. Bacchione met earlier this week with Congressman Jon Runyan to discuss a number of Sandy-related issues. One of them …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Right Coast Surf Shop was flooded with three feet of water during the storm
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 cool. I was wrong." Colombo said the store had never seen any flooding before Sandy. Even though the store looks great now, he is still paying for the $…
Monday, April 15, 2013
FEMA video focuses on how one home survived while neighbors did not
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," features interviews with Wright and pictures before and after the storm.
Joe
9:39 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Big mistake for the state to buy that property in the first place. Someone mades lots of money and the state wasted money on something they did not need. Makes ya wonder don't it? more ›