Hurricane Sandy

Berkeley Comes Through Nor'easter With Little Damage, Mayor Says

Dunes actually bulked up a little, thanks to snow fencing and Christmas trees

Sandy-battered sections of the township were spared from much damage or flooding during the nor'easter, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "We are extremely thankful we did very well during the nor'easter," Amato said. "I received reports from our Office of Emergency Management that we had about six to eight inches of water in the street down by Balsam Drive, Main Street and some sections off Bayview Avenue in Holly Park." Although Pelican Island and South Seaside Park took on some water in the roadways, the flooding was nothing severe, the mayor said. The Parks and Recreation Department reported that some of the dunes in South Seaside Park were actually built up during the storm, he said. "We gained a foot of sand in some spots near the new …

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Southbound

9:17 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013

Red, I live in Bayville and agree with fight club. Take a look at the shop rite plaza. Garbage everywhere. People don't have any pride where they live. That's going to change for us because we are out of here.   more ›

Police Checkpoints Ended For South Seaside Park And Pelican Island

Curfews still in effect, mayor says

While Berkeley Township police will continue patrolling the streets of South Seaside Park and Pelican Island, the police checkpoints on Route 35 have been removed, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "Many resident have repopulated these areas and have started the rebuilding process," Amato said today. "It is time to get back to some level of normalcy." Residents began a slow trickle back into their homes shortly before Christmas. But the two sections were closed to the general public, except for contractors during the daytime. Residential stickers and work entry permits are no longer needed to gain access to both areas, the mayor said. However, the 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remains in effect and ocean beaches and bayfront areas will remain …

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UPDATE: Welcomed Back, But Destruction Keeps Pelican Island Residents at Bay

Residents of the small island have been cleared to move back in, but significant damage to homes and the absence of some utilities is keeping residents out.

Residents of Pelican Island's have been cleared by officials to return to their homes, but the still-significant destruction and ongoing restoration efforts are keeping neighborhoods largely empty and abandoned, for now at least. On Thursday morning, a day after Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher announced that the island's residents would be the first township residents allowed to move back into their barrier island homes following Hurricane Sandy, Pelican Island remained mostly empty, save for some contractors and a scant few homeowners. Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. announced late yesterday that residents in the Berkeley section of Pelican Island would be allowed to return home. But unlike the Toms River section, all utilities…

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South Seaside Park And Pelican Island Residents Can Go Home Thursday

County, state, approve township's re-population plan, mayor says

South Seaside Park and Pelican Island residents got an early Christmas present today when the county and state approved the re-population plan for both areas. "I'm ecstatic," Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "We did our due diligence to get to this point. We are thrilled we got approved. Our goal was to get our residents home for Christmas." Residents in both areas can head over the Thomas A. Mathis bridge Thursday morning, beginning at 8 a.m., the mayor said. Only residents with decals they received in earlier brief trips will be allowed to re-enter both areas, he said. "Now with re-population, we will definitely get public works out there for Saturday and Monday, give people a chance to get their storm-related debris out," Amato said. The…

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Hurricane Sandy

Home Before Christmas?

Mayor Hoping County, State Will Approve Repopulation Plan for South Seaside Park, Pelican Island

Keep your fingers crossed. Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. is hoping that residents of South Seaside Park, Pelican Island and neighboring Seaside Park will be able to return to their homes by Dec. 20, if all goes well. "My goal is to get our residents home before Christmas," Amato said. Police Chief Karin T. DiMichele is drafting a repopulation plan for the two sections that will have to be submitted "through the chain of command," the mayor said. The plan must first be approved by the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management, then the State Office of Emergency Management, and finally by Gov. Chris Christie, he said. "We have had our engineering department review the infrastructure and they have deemed the roads safe," Amato said. "Our …

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Hurricane Sandy

NJNG Pressurizing Seaside Park And South Seaside Park Today, No Access Today

Work on gas lines will hopefully be completed today, mayor says

Seaside Park and South Seaside Park residents will have to wait a little bit longer to get into their homes. New Jersey Natural Gas workers have finished pressurizing gas lines in Seaside Heights and Pelican Island and have moved onto to Seaside Park and South Seaside Park today, Berkeley Township Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. "The bridge is open and Pelican Island and Seaside Heights are open," Amato said. "The gas company is in Seaside Park and South Seaside Park repressurizing the gas lines. For safety precautions, both areas are closed today. We are hopeful they have 18 crews in the area and barring any unforeseen anomalies, they should finish today." Once the lines are pressurized, NJNG employees will do meter rebuilds. When the …

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Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Gas Service To Be Restored To Pelican Island, South Seaside Park And Seaside Park Later This Month

Gas lines to be pressurized, meters rebuilt, mayor says

New Jersey Natural Gas plans to pressurize the gas lines for Seaside Heights and Pelican Island on Dec. 13, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. The Thomas A. Mathis Route 37 East bridge into the barrier island will be closed to all traffic that day and on Dec. 14, when the lines for Seaside Park and South Seaside Park are pressurized, Amato said. "No access will be allowed for safety reasons," Amato said. Once the lines are pressurized, NJNG employees will do meter rebuilds on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18. When the meter rebuilds are completed, natural gas will be reintroduced to the meter, the mayor said. The gas will be shut off at the meter's shut-off valve and a tag attached to the valve. The tag will state "Before opening this valve, you must …

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Hurricane Sandy

Berkeley Police Arrest Two Men On Storm-Battered Pelican Island

Both charged with trespassing, possession of CDS

Township police recently arrested two brothers who paddled over to Pelican Island on Barnegat Bay by kayak shortly after the Hurricane Sandy, Detective Sgt. James J. Smith said. Detective Will Cullen found Douglas J. Polle, Jr. 26, Grant Avenue, Pine Beach, and Tyler Polle, 22, Compass Avenue, Beachwood in the backyard of a home on South Sunset Drive at 12:27 p.m. on Oct. 31, he said. "They told us they were taking pictures for National Geographic," Smith said. Cullen wasn't buying that. He charged both men with trespassing and possession of marijuana, Smith said. Police were on Pelican Island that day to look for looters and make certain no other residents needed to be evacuated, Smith said. "That area of Pelican Island had significant …

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Hurricane Sandy

Pelican Island Residents In Both Berkeley and Toms River Can Go Back Home Briefly Thursday

Homeowners have a three-hour window to return to their homes, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. says

Pelican Island residents of both Berkeley and Toms River will be allowed to return to their homes between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, weather permitting, Berkeley Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said tonight. Residents will have to check in at the Bellcrest Plaza at 935 Fischer Boulevard in Toms River tomorrow morning. Proof of residence is required: driver's license, tax bill or utility bill, Amato said. "Only one vehicle per household with a pass will be permitted to cross the bridge," the mayor said. "We appreciate all of our residents' cooperation." The approval to re-enter Pelican Island came after "long negotiation sessions" between Berkeley and Toms River officials and various state agencies, Amato said. "We know this information …

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Hurricane Sandy

Pelican Island Residents: Go Now To Get Belongings

Access for Berkeley and Toms River residents of island granted today only; you must be off by 4 p.m.

Residents of Pelican Island -- both those from Berkeley and from Toms River -- have been granted permission to access the island to retrieve belongings, Berkeley Township officials said. Berkeley Township Attorney Lauren Staiger said the decision, reached this afternoon, grants permission for residents to take one personal vehicle to their homes to collect belongings. Residents must register at the Bellcrest Plaza on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River and must prove residency there or that they own a business there, Staiger said. No sightseeing is permitted and all must be off Pelican Island by 4 p.m., Staiger said.

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