Who cares about crossing party lines when rebuilding in the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Sandy? That's the question Gov. Chris Christie posed yesterday when he accepted the ringing endorsement for his reelection from Democratic Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. Long, whose town has been visited quite a bit by the governor since Sandy struck and nearly leveled it, called the governor a hero. Democratic leadership called her an opportunist capitalizing on the disaster. Christie called out people putting politics above rebuilding the Jersey Shore with a united front. Hear what the governor had to…

Sunday marks the first anniversary of the storm that pulled trees from their roots, flooded cars, decimated homes and businesses and left thousands without power. After Irene blew through Little Silver, Oceanport and neighboring towns in August 2011, Little Silver-Oceanport Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. One year later, we're asking you: Does the storm continue to impact you? What changes did you make in and around your home? Did your business, or neighboring businesses survive the wind and flood damage? Add photos of your neighborhood …

Hurricane Irene would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey in more than a century, had it actually been packing hurricane-strength winds at the time. But by the time Irene rolled ashore at Little Egg Inlet in southern Ocean County, its wind speed had already decreased to 69 m.p.h. – a full 5 m.p.h. short of hurricane strength – meaning it was actually just a tropical storm. The new findings were released Dec. 14 by the National Hurricane Center, the latest of equivalent post-mortems the agency has posted on every other storm of the 2011 hurricane season. Every year, …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a 60-day extension for the proof of loss deadline for flood victims of Hurricane Irene from Nov. 23, 2011 to Jan. 23, 2012 under the National Flood Insurance Program. The extension goes into effect for flood policyholders in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia with dates of loss between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4. FEMA can be contacted toll-free at 888-379-9531. Lines are open …

At the request of the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is extending the registration deadline for renters, homeowners and business owners who suffered damage from Hurricane Irene.Those affected by the storm and flooding now have until Nov. 30 to register fordisaster assistance.“We've extended the registration deadline for people who–for whatever reason–have not had the opportunity to register for assistance,” said William L. Vogel, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. “The goal is to ensure all eligible Irene survivors have the chance to seek assistance.”There are three …

A press release from Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone that residents impacted by Hurricane Irene should fill out and return their U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) applications. From the release: "Many times, after residents register their loss with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), they might get an application from the SBA," Arnone said. "These applications are not just for businesses or low-interest disaster loans." Typically, people think the loans are only for businesses or they simply do not want to take out a low-interest disaster loan, so they may push the SBA …

Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday urged those impacted by Hurricane Irene to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - and Neptune will serve as FEMA's hub site for New Jersey. Beginning Wednesday, the Joint Field Office in Neptune will serve as the field office for all federal and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management relief efforts throughout the state. "Representatives from the departments will be located here to ensure that we're all working together, officially and effectively, in a coordinated manner to get assistance to folks as quickly as possible," he said. …

President Barack Obama has declared Monmouth County a major disaster area. Congressman Frank Pallone, D-6, said he was notified of President Obama's decision on Saturday. Obama also declared Middlesex County a major disaster area. Sixteen New Jersey counties are now eligible for possible relief from FEMA: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren. Gov. Chris Christie previously requested assistance for all 21 New Jersey counties, but damage assessments need to be concluded before …

When the forecast calls for a big storm offshore, the surfers head for the waves and the shell collectors, like me, wait in anticipation of what those big waves will bring. This week my crew and I headed out to one of the free beaches in Sea Bright to do a little post-hurricane shelling, the best kind. You never know what you will find washed up on our beaches, a giant oyster or an industrial insulated glove for handling solvents. Either way, it's an adventure. As parents we all like to see our kids follow in our footsteps. Make the football team or join the fire department, whatever it is …

Monmouth County Health Department inspectors have been busy visiting restaurants and grocery stores that lost power or sustained damage during Hurricane Irene, according to Monmouth County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis. “I haven’t seen an inspector in two days. They’ve been out constantly,” he said. The department is responsible for assessing conditions at food establishments in 23 Monmouth County towns. The Monmouth Regional Health Department and five municipal health departments in Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Long Branch, Middletown and Manalapan oversee businesses in the rest…

The majority of the remaining 130,000 JCP&L customers without power should be restored by the weekend, with full restoration by early next week, according to a statement released Wednesday by FirstEnergy. Over 300 customers in Little Silver and Oceanport remain without power as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the FirstEnergy Web site. More than 770,000 FirstEnergy customers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland have been restored after losing power due to Hurricane Irene.  Overall, 920,000 customers were affected by the storm. Crews continue working to restore service to the …

If you experience flooding related to Hurricane Irene, the Monmouth County Health Department recommends taking precautions to keep you and your family safe. Monmouth County experienced significant wave action and 9 to 12 inches of rainfall that contributed to inland and coastal flooding. “Flood waters caused by the hurricane is impacting Monmouth County residents greatly,” Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley said. “Flood water can create special challenges with cleanup efforts; so be sure to take the proper precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones.” The Monmouth County Health…

JCP&L customers without power can bring their ID and bill to any of the following retailers to receive $5 worth of ice or water for free: Acme Supermarket, 576 River Road, Fair HavenAcme Supermarket, 3241 Route 9, FreeholdAcme Supermarket, 616 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft Acme Supermarket, Main Street & Route 71, ManasquanAcme Supermarket, 180 Shrewsbury Ave., ShrewsburyFood Circus, 1560 Route 35, OakhurstFood Circus, 426 Route 36 and Wilson Avenue, Port MonmouthFood Circus, 362 Broad St., Red Bank Food Circus, 1732 Route 35 and 18th Avenue, Wall TownshipFood Circus, 1 Route 37, West, Toms …

A message from Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon:Thank you Oceanport Residents, volunteers, professionals, and the Office of Emergency Management. Whether it was following the preplan and moving your cars and boats to the high ground; evacuating when asked; and heading warnings and information throughout the storm; Oceanport Residents were exceptional. Kudos to the Oceanport Public Works and Police Departments for braving hazardous conditions to keep our town safe. Hats off to our volunteer fire fighters and first aider's for taking time away from their families and homes during extreme …

Employees are busy in "clean-up mode" at Donovan’s Reef in Sea Bright while customers lay-out on the beach this sunny Monday after Hurricane Irene came through just two nights ago. “We lost the tiki. We are in clean-up mode right now, but we are open for business and have been since last night,” said Susie Markson, manager of Donovan’s. Markson said that at high tide, the storm and the ocean were hitting the sea wall pretty hard. The winds were so strong that a door to the main building even swung open. “Luckily, one of the residents saw that a door swung open and the police had someone come …

As New Jersey begins to reassemble itself after Hurricane Irene's weekend of destruction, concerns have been raised over the quality of ocean water. On August 26, one day before the effects of Hurricane Irene began along the Jersey Shore, New Jersey Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin signed an order closing shellfish beds statewide. "This predicted precipitation, high winds and storm surge will likely result in significant flooding, power outages, sewage bypasses and sanitary sewer overflows resulting in degraded water quality," the order read. One such sewerage spill has …

Monmouth County currently has the largest amount of customers without power among Jersey Central Power and Light Customers across New Jersey. As of 5:24 p.m., the power company was reporting approximately 122,609 customers without power across the county, with some residents and businesses who previously had service going offline throughout the day as the region deals with the continued effects of Hurricane Irene. JCP&L said it is still "assessing damage" and otherwise anticipates service to be restored in the "next several days." Continued flooding, downed trees and debris were hampering …

Hurricane Irene could have been much worse for Oceanport if it weren't for three saving graces: mother nature, modern technology, and community spirit. "We dodged a bullet," said the borough's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Director Capt. Mauro “Buzz” Baldanza, after a busy weekend of coordinating the town's various response teams. "We could have experienced much greater flooding, but the storm kind of petered out. We were worried the winds wouldn't hold the tide down, but then the storm changed character and saved us." Saturday and Sunday's rains pushed the Shrewsbury River into many …

I have always wanted to put a message in a bottle with my kids. There is something old-timey and romantic about putting your message out there into the great churning sea, to be carried to a far away land... like Coney Island. I think that's where my sister's bottle landed when we were kids. In my beachcombing travels I always keep an eye out for the perfect bottle. Naturally it has to have a cap and I prefer something non-alcoholic. Something about my kids wrapping their tiny little hands around a fifth of cheap vodka just seems wrong. Well last year I found it, a pretty bottle of framboise…

A message from the Borough of Oceanport: Beginning Wednesday, August 31st the Borough will begin a storm clean up. This is a special one time clean up therefore we ask that you try to get all materials to the curb by this date. This includes branches and stumps, sea grass/leaves and river debris. Tree materials, sea grass/leaves and river debris should be separated as they have to be disposed of differently and placed neatly at the curb. Branches should be no longer the 10 feet in length but do not have to be tied or bundled. Thank you for your cooperation. Kimberly A. Jungfer Borough …