Week in News: Long Branch Boardwalk's Fate, Sandy Video Diary, Guard Still on Patrol

Video Diary of Sandy (Part 3): 'Hard Times Come Again No More'

Ocean City - John Thornton, a resident of the Ocean City Homes neighborhood on the south end of Ocean City and a teacher at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, recently completed a third segment of a film about the impact of superstorm Sandy on his friends, neighbors and hometown.

The first 14-minute segment of the film starts on Saturday, Oct. 27, two days before Sandy makes landfall and continues through the storm. The second part of the film is about Sandy's impact on Ocean City. It starts the day after Sandy makes landfall as Thornton gets his first look at the storm's effects.

Read more on Ocean City Patch.

National Guard Maintains A Large Presence in Sandy-Impacted Areas

It’s Sunday afternoon. A few hours ago guardsmen were stationed along the barrier island, huddled in the rain around makeshift fire pits or loaded up in Humvees touring the still-devastated landscape. Now, they’ve taken their positions in armchairs in front of the big screen to watch with mild interest as the Cowboys take on the Bengals.

More than a month ago the National Guard was deployed in New Jersey to help assist with evacuations prior to Hurricane Sandy. They remained for the immediate aftermath to assist with search and rescue. Finally, what was anticipated as only a three to five day deployment for observation and surveillance has turned into a two-month stay.

Read more on Toms River Patch.

Facts For Rumson Rebuild After Sandy

Rumson — They circled the Forrestdale School parking lot in a swarm honing in on a spot, a step closer to solutions — Sandy-afflicted Rumson residents looking for answers.

Last week's stakeholder forum of Sandy survival was the sort of meeting the beleaguered and storm-embattled rebuilders been waiting for since the superstorm hit and rendered hundreds of homes in the borough’s low-lying areas uninhabitable.

This was the borough’s first post-Sandy forum featuring local, state and federal officials who may be able to help them.

Read more on Rumson-Fair Haven Patch.

Sandy Leaves 14,000 Tons Of Brush — Most Ever Recorded

Wall Township — If you think there was a lot of brush left over after Hurricane Sandy, you’re right. About 14,000 tons of it, officials said.

That’s 14 times the amount left from Hurricane Irene, the last big storm that in 2011 blew through the Shore Area and toppled trees and downed power lines in town, Township Administrator Jeffry Bertrand said.

The mountain of brush left after Sandy and the nor'easter that followed it amounts to the most ever recorded, Bertrand said.

Read more on Wall Patch.

At $6.5M, Belmar Boardwalk Bid Comes in Less Than Half of Original Estimate

Belmar — Rebuilding Belmar's boardwalk will cost less than half what was originally estimated. The borough approved a $6.59 million contract to rebuild the boardwalk as it was, but with increased hurricane protection.

Belmar planned to spend $17 million to rebuild its boardwalk, destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. On top of the favorable bid, the lowest of 23 submitted, winning contractor Epic Construction could net a $100,000 bonus if the work is complete by April 30.

Read more on Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

Long Branch Boardwalk Not Likely To Be Rebuilt As It Was Prior To Sandy

Long Branch- The Long Branch boardwalk will likely have a different look once it is rebuilt by the city.

Upcoming FEMA regulations and a desire for the boardwalk to not suffer the same fate from a future storm as it did from Hurricane Sandy may force the city's hand in building a new type of boardwalk, city officials discussed during Tuesday night's council meeting.

Read more on Long Branch Patch.

Freeholder Wants More Help for Ocean County — Now

Freeholder Joseph Vicari was watching C-SPAN, listening to New Jersey Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez talking about the need for billions in federal funding to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

There was one thing that bothered him about it, however: all of the damage they discussed was in North Jersey.

"The senators made it very clear about North Jersey, but I didn’t hear anyone mention the Jersey Shore," Vicari said. "They have to be more aggressive about getting the money for us, too."

Read more on Point Pleasant Patch.

Red Bank Flavour Gives Taste of Sea Bright Rising

There will be food and drink and dancing, of course, but this weekend when Sea Bright Rising holds its sold-out Beach Bash fundraiser at Ocean Place Resort and Spa, the main item on the menu will be a break from Sandy's wrath.

Read more on Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch.

Little Silver Town Hall Meeting Sheds Light on the Rebuilding Maze

Little Silver — The most eye-opening moment at Tuesday night's Little Silver town hall meeting came not when one resident said she paid about $85,000 annually for flood insurance, or when another shared with the crowd his frustrations that the amount of money given to him by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a rental was not commensurate with market values in the area. It came when about a third of the audience of about 225 residents packed into the Markham Place cafetorium raised their hands to show they had been displaced from their homes by Superstorm Sandy.

Read more on Little Silver-Oceanport Patch.

Township Considering Options to Replace Retiring Nally

Lacey — The Township Committee will discuss Thursday in executive session how to proceed following police Chief William Nally’s impending retirement.

After serving the Lacey Township Police Department for nearly 28 years, Nally, 49, announced his retirement in a Nov. 19 letter to Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh.

Read more on Lacey Patch.

CommVault to Pay $5.9 Million for Land at Fort Monmouth

Tinton Falls — Officials have accepted a deal with Oceanport's largest company to build its new headquarters on Fort Monmouth property of Tinton Falls.

The deal will be the first sale of property at the fort.

Fort redevelopers Wednesday night passed an amendment to a purchase-sale agreement with CommVault for a parcel of land in in the Charles Wood section of Tinton Falls where the data management firm will build it's new global headquarters.

Read more on Little Silver-Oceanport Patch.

How High Is High Enough?

Berkeley Township — Residents whose homes will have to be raised to comply with new flood standards will have to wait until next week to find out how high they will have to go.

That's because the Federal Emergency Management Agency's new advisory base flood elevations won't be released until next week, after state officials have had a chance to review them, a National Flood Insurance Program representative said at the Dec. 11 Township Council meeting.

Read more on Berkeley Patch.

FEMA: Temporary Housing Ready for Sandy Victims

In an unused parking lot under the long morning shadow of a 130-foot tall steel roller coast, 40 outwardly identical mobile homes, each sitting on their own trailer, are ready for deployment.

As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Temporary Housing Assistance program, mobile homes have been delivered from Cumberland, Md. and are currently being staged at Six Flags Great Adventure theme park in Jackson. As early as next week and assuredly before Christmas, officials said, the mobile homes will be dispatched to parts of Monmouth and Ocean Counties where they’ll house residents who have lost their homes to Hurricane Sandy.

And more are on the way.

Read more on Brick Patch.