Community Assessment for Recovery Efforts in Monmouth County to Begin

Walk-in center opening in Long Branch on April 25

Hurricane Sandy

Deadline to Apply for FEMA, SBA Extended to May 1

Deadline extension applies for homeowner, renter and business registration with SBA

Residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until May 1 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a prepared statement from the governor's office.  The deadline extension also applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance. Businesses applying for SBA Economic Injury loans still have until July 31 to apply. The loans are for businesses that did not suffer any physical damage, but lost revenue in Sandy's aftermath. State and federal offiicials have urged all residents and businesses affected by the storm, whether it was through flooding, wind damage or loss of business  revenue, …

•  44 Comments
• Photos (4)

Hurricane Sandy

Flood Maps Could Change for Mainland Communities

During a Friday conference call discussing the National Flood Insurance Program, talk shifted to FEMA's flood maps and the potential for change in New Jersey.

The impetus behind releasing its advisory flood maps soon after Hurricane Sandy was simply to aid in the state's disaster recovery, a Federal Emergency Management Agency risk analyst said Friday, noting that they still remain subject to change prior to their official adoption into the National Flood Insurance Program. Discussion about the NFIP as well as the Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps was made during a FEMA conference call late Friday morning and seemed to conflict with Gov. Chris Christie's hurried effort to see the maps adopted as New Jersey's new standard.  Doug Bellomo, director of FEMA's Risk Analysis Division, said the agency used the best available scientific data to develop the maps, and while he's confident that they're …

•  62 Comments
• Photos (1)

JMS

2:27 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013

@ Just wondering.. I am really at a loss for words.. I have not heard any such thing; we are a monmouth county agent and like I said I have a client in Toms River who is proceeding with his ICC claim, he was told no such thing; maybe you can bypass you're agent and contact the flood insurance company directly??? just a thought; I don't know who you have; maybe I would be of some assistance, lmk..   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Christie Predicts FEMA Will Scale Back Flood Maps

Governor provides update on rebuilding, with focus on flood maps and Blue Acres buyout, and plenty of anecdotes

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 officials and residents in the Hurricane Sandy damaged town of Manasquan, and Christie returned to the complicated and controversial topic of what would …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (5)

Superstorm Sandy Damaged Over 400 Homes in Oceanport

State data also shows average cost of damage was $21,488 in the municipality, while Little Silver was slightly higher at $30,511.

Superstorm Sandy inflicted damage on 444 homes and rental units in Oceanport and 169 in Little Silver, according to an analysis of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs data by NJSpotlight.com.  Some 266 Oceanport homeowners reported "major" damage, defined as between $8,000 and $28,800 in storm costs, while there were no reports of damage under $8,000 that was considered "minor." Severe damage--defined as over $28,800 in costs - -was reported for 143 homes.  At least 35 Oceanport rental units took damage in the storm -- 26 suffering minor damage,  6 incurring major damage, and 3 reporting severe damage. In Little Silver, no homeowners reported minor damage but 110  reported major damage and 52 reported severe damage from the storm. …

• Photos (2)

Public Protests Potential Adoption of FEMA Flood Maps as Elevation Standard

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection holds public hearing in Long Branch

A huge crowd came to Long Branch City Hall on Thursday evening for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) public hearing, to protest the potential adoption of FEMA's advisory base flood elevation (ABFE) maps as the new elevation standard for the the state. The crowd was mostly comprised of many unhappy homeowners from around the state impacted by Hurricane Sandy in one way or another. "The thought of increasing flood insurance premiums into the tens of thousands of dollars is daunting," Toms River resident Margaret Quinn said. Quinn lives in the Silverton section of Toms River, and said her house was more than 50 percent damaged. She, like so many others, has been displaced by the hurricane, and is now faced with …

•  24 Comments
• Photos (4)

Hurricane Sandy

A Look Inside Municipal FEMA Reimbursement Process

New Jersey Office of Emergency Management prepares briefing

How does a government go from disaster, to emergency response, to long-term rebuild to normalcy, while seeking FEMA reimbursements along the way? A detailed briefing on the process appears on the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management's Disaster Public Assistance site, outlining the different classifications a town would use for projects after a disaster such as Hurricane Sandy. The briefing aims to break down the complicated process and provide an overview. The PowerPoint presentation answers questions such as: Which local officers would be coordinating the reimbursement effort depends on the project -- whether an emergency rescue cost, clearing right-of-ways, or repairing infrastructure, for example. The 57-page document delves into …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Hurricane Sandy

FEMA Offers Rebuilding and Repair Advice

The ongoing workshops are being held in several home improvement stores throughout the area.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing free advice on how to repair or rebuild your Hurricane Sandy-damaged home at several home improvement stores throughout the area. With an eye on rebuilding to mitigate future disaster damage, FEMA experts will be on hand to offer building techniques that can help protect homes, businesses and other properties.  Among the topics advice is being offered on are: •             Ridding a home of mold and mildew. •             Understanding flood- and wind-resistant building methods. •             Knowing the benefits of flood insurance. •             Elevating or anchoring utilities. Sepecialists are on hand today, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 16 from 8:30 a.m…

•  18 Comments
• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

Months After Sandy, Insurance Still Not an Answer

Residents of Union Beach met with Rep. Frank Pallone on Tuesday to air grievances about insurance.

Randall Kidd’s story isn’t unique. A Union Beach resident, he’s faithfully paid into the National Flood Insurance Program for years, insuring his home against the kind of flood damage caused by Hurricane Sandy with a $217,000 policy he hoped would make him whole. After his home was destroyed by the late October storm, Kidd set about filling out the appropriate paperwork, meeting with adjusters who came in from out of state and waiting for the check to arrive so he could start to work. Finally, the check did come, but for $89,000, less than half of what contractors have told him it will cost to rebuild his home. In a crowded conference room at Union Beach’s municipal building, Kidd and other area residents met to find an answer, or at least…

•  12 Comments
• Photos (2)

Hurricane Sandy

Home Buyouts in Flooded Areas Not Off the Table

Gov. Christie said home buyouts are a possibility, but that he's leaving the decision to individual towns to make.

State-funded buyouts of homes in flood-prone neighborhoods ravaged by Hurricane Sandy is a possibility, Gov. Christie said this week. However, when it comes to a final decision, it’s one he hopes the residents will make. In Sea Bright, Christie was joined Thursday afternoon by U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan to discuss the allocation of $1.8 billion that will be used to fund Community Development Block grants, or CDBGs. Though that money will be focused on rebuilding homes and small businesses, future HUD allocations could be used for residential buyouts. It’s not something he’d like to see, Christie said, but if a community finds that it’s the best option for their future, it will have to be considered. “I …

•  130 Comments
• Photos (1)