Thursday, March 28, 2013
The portion of the more than $60 billion aid package will be used to fund development block grants.
An action plan that outlines how New Jersey will spend $1.8 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief aid was submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for review Thursday. The aid will be used for Community Development Block Grants, which are designed to help homeowners, renters, business owners and communities still rebuilding following the late October storm. According to a release, the Action Plan focuses primarily on the nine counties most affected by the storm, including Monmouth, Ocean, Cape May, and Atlantic Counties. The grant funding is expected to assist approximately 26,000 homeowners, more than 5,000 renters, and more than 10,000 businesses, as well as local municipalities. Among the expenditures are $600 …
Friday, March 22, 2013
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 …
Friday, February 22, 2013
Governor welcomed Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long's endorsement and offered his own thoughts
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 say in the brief video clip above.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The governor will appear at Woody's Ocean Grille
Less than a month after the most recent of Gov. Chris Christie's many visits to Sea Bright post-Hurricane Sandy, he will be returning today. This time, he will be making a campaign announcement, according to a media advisory from his office. With no indication as to the specific nature of the announcement, the advisory said that Gov. Christie is scheduled to speak at 11:15 a.m. at Woody's Ocean Grille, Sea Bright. The governor and his wife Mary Pat have been very supportive of Sea Bright Rising, the charity for Sandy-afflicted headed by Woody's owner Chris Wood. There was no indication as to whether or not the announcement, taking place at Wood's restaurant, would involve him or Sea Bright Rising.
Friday, February 8, 2013
The order directs the State comptroller to conduct independent review of contracts and provides transparency measures over expenditures.
An executive order signed by Gov. Chris Christie Friday aims to put key review and reporting initiatives in place to ensure that distribution of Hurricane Sandy relief funds is done in an accountable and transparent matter. The order, No. 125, directs the Office of the State Comptroller to conduct an independent, legal review of the procurement process for state contracts using federal reconstruction aid, according to a release. Each of the state's departments dealing with the distribution of federal aid will designate an "Accountability Officer" to work with the Comptroller's Office and the Governor's Office of Recovery and Rebuilding. The order also requires that contracts approved with the state be made accessible to the public through …
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 …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The governor was joined by Shaun Donovan in Sea Bright Thursday afternoon.
The $1.8 billion recently allocated for use in Community Development Block Grants, or CDBGs, will be used primarily to help residents and small businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy recover, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan said Thursday afternoon. Joined by Gov. Chris Christie in Sea Bright, Donovan said the funding is the first chunk of approximately $16 billion that will help homeowners along the East Coast rebuild, filling the gaps between aid provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and loans issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The grant funding is part of the more than $50 billion aid package approved by Congress less than a month ago. With storms like Sandy, known, …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Christie decision to adopt FEMA's advisory flood maps will have a dramatic impact on coastal towns, but he's not backing down.
Gov. Chris Christie is adamant about his decision to adopt the Federal Emergency Management’s (FEMA) advisory flood maps. And while that decision will have a significant, and costly, impact on many of New Jersey’s shore towns, it’s a necessary step to ensure their survival, he said. Speaking at a mobile cabinet meeting in Union Beach nearly two weeks after announcing his decision to rebuild using the advisory flood maps as a guide, Christie said it was a difficult choice, but one he had to make. Even amidst opposition as shore towns and residents voice their objections to the maps and their expanded flood-prone A and V Zones, Christie’s not backing down. Whether towns and residents rebuild smarter and higher, or face the risk and high cost…
Friday, January 18, 2013
NJ SAFE will analyze data from numerous sources to provide recommendations on issues like gun control.
In an effort to address and understand the root causes of violent crimes, and in response to President Barack Obama's recent proposed assault weapon ban, Gov. Chris Christie announced the development of a new task force Thursday afternoon called the NJ SAFE Task Force. By creating NJ SAFE, Christie said he hopes to take a comprehensive look at where gun control, addiction, mental health, and school safety in New Jersey intersect. While the state has some of the toughest gun laws in the country, Christie said his hope is that the task force will focus on real, common sense measures that could be appropriate for New Jersey moving forward. The bipartisan task force is comprised of six members and is being co-chaired by two former New Jersey …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie delivered his third State of the State address Tuesday in Trenton.
It’s been a consistent refrain from Gov. Chris Christie’s office following Hurricane Sandy’s landing on New Jersey’s shores. Make no mistake about it, he told the assembled crowd of lawmakers at the Statehouse Tuesday afternoon, New Jersey will be back. As expected, much of Christie’s State of the State address focused on Sandy’s impact on New Jersey and the ongoing effort to restore the areas most devastated by the storm as quickly as possible. During the approximately 45-minute speech—one marked by several standing ovations for both Christie and for residents who performed heroically during and after Sandy—the governor appealed for bipartisanship in politics at both the state and national levels as New Jersey works toward restoration. …
Fluke
5:08 pm on Saturday, March 23, 2013
No Christe thinks FEMA is being to aggressive in covering their butts and trying to make up for Katina.My house was put in a flood zone even though I have never been flooded in 30 years,problaby never.It's a big insurance scam. more ›