Saturday, March 30, 2013
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, …
Friday, March 29, 2013
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 …
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 …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
FEMA released new flood maps last December
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Sunday, March 10
Residents who wish to view FEMA's new advisory base flood elevation maps can do so by clicking the links above.
Monday, March 4, 2013
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 …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
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…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
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…
Friday, February 8, 2013
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, …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Center opened on Nov. 19
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Tuesday, February 5
FEMA's Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in Long Branch will be closing on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. The DRC is located at Long Branch Fire Station No. 4 on Union Avenue. Since the Long Branch DRC opened Nov. 19, 2012, there have been more than 2,500 visits from Hurricane Sandy survivors, a FEMA news release states. However, the releases says, "state and federal officials have been paying close attention to how many applicants are visiting centers throughout the state. "Over the past weeks, the number of individuals seeking help at the Long Branch and Sayreville centers has dropped, indicating the information needs of survivors in the area have mostly been met," the release states. The DRC located in Sayreville will also be closing on Feb. 9…
anonymous
4:11 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
We're hurting 6 months after Sandy... We're frustrated... We're MAD... We need action, not talk! Come to the protest rally Sat. May 4th, 2-3PM, Joey Harrison's Surf Club, 1900 Ocean Ave., Ortley Beach. more ›