FEMA Building Standards Saved Windnsea in Highlands

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Governor Christie Press Conference on Hurricane Recovery Efforts

UPDATED

Governor Chris Christie had a press conference in Trenton this morning.  Here is a video:

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Christie Will Seek a Second Term

Governor Chris Christie told first responders and volunteers from Monmouth County’s Bayshore that he will seek an second term as New Jersey’s Chief Executive while speaking at a Season of Service event at the Port Monmouth Fire House in Middletown Township.

Christie said that his family unanimously supported his seeking a second term when they discussed it over the Thanksgiving weekend. He said that Hurricane Sandy played a role in his decision.  “I think the one thing that strikes me right now is I have a job to finish. It would be wrong for me to leave now.”

In his remarks to the volunteers assembled at the fire house, Christie said, “I will not forget you,” as spoke of New Jerseyans determination to rebuild after the storm.

Democrats reportedly considering a challenge to Christie include Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Senate President Steve Sweeney, former acting Governor Richard Cody, State Senator Barbara Buono, Assemblyman John Wisniewski and Assemblyman Lou Greenwald.

The Democratic nomination is Booker’s for the taking.  Booker is also considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2014.

Monmouth University Pollster Patrick Murray told The Star Ledger, “Bruce Springsteen would have to run against Chris Christie to make this a fair fight…But having said that, we’re still a long ways from next November.”

The Christie campaign has set up a temporary website here and is accepting donations here.

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Christie’s approval ratings surge on Sandy performance

An FDU Public Mind Poll released this morning gives Governor Christie an approval rating 10 points higher than the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll poll released last week.

FDU re-surveyed a group they had polled from October 26th through 29th during the week before Thanksgiving.  Christie’s approval rating went from 56% before Superstorm Sandy to 77% following the hurricane.

The Rutgers-Eagleton poll released on November 21 gave the governor a 67% approval rating, post-Sandy, amongst registered voters.

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Thousands Raise Hope and Funds For Highlands

Photography by Paul Scharff

As estimated 3,000 people braved the cold and traveled by land and sea Sunday afternoon to to raise hope and money for the sea side community of Highlands, NJ, much of which was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy,  at the Hope For Highlands Concert.  The concert was held at the Seastreak Ferry parking lot.  Seastreak provided ferry service from Atlantic Highlands and New York City to the event.

13 year old Max Kyrillos kicked off the concert with a Hendrix style rendition of The Star Spangled Banner.

Big Joe Henry, Southside Johnny and Pat Guadagno joined the previously announced talent of the Asbury Jukes, Glenn Alexander, Tony Seguso, Tony Tino, Bob Bandiera, Bob Burger, Lisa Bouchelle, Lisa Lowell, Layonne Holmes, and Tommy LaBella in raising the spirits of the tight knit community and the thousands came out to support their recovery.

Brian Spagnolo and Kari Belusko of Highlands were engaged to be married during the concert.

Over $35,000 has been raised so far.  Click here for more information on how to donate to the Hope for Highlands Fund.

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Governor and First Lady in Middletown Today. Lt. Governor Guadagno in Ocean Township Tonight

Governor Chris Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie will be in Middletown this afternoon to acknowledge Hurricane Sandy First Responders and Volunteers.

This Christies are scheduled to arrive at the Port Monmouth Fire House, 125 Main Street, Port Monmouth at 3 PM.  They will address the press following their meet and greet.

Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno will be attending the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund Benefit at Buono Sera Palazzo, 1033 West Park Ave, Ocean Township, this evening.

The event will feature live entertainment, silent auction, cocktail party and dancing.  Scheduled entertainers include Big Joe Henry, Pat Guadagno, Kyle Grooms of Comedy Central & The Dave Chappelle Show, Gordon Baker-Bone, Craig Mahoney & Carolina Hidalgo. Spotlight performances by Vini ‘Mad Dog’ Lopez, Bobby Banderia, Marc Ribler, Brian Kirk, Sonny Kenn, Joe Petillo, Matt O’Ree.

Tickets are $100 and are available through Buono Sera Bar and Restaurant, 732-530-5858.

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Belmar set to bond $20 million for rebuilding boardwalk

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty Photo Credit Mark Bonamo, NJ.com

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty and his colleagues on the Borough Council are acting on their pledge to rebuild the town’s boardwalk by Memorial Day 2013.

NJ.com reports that the governing body introduced a $20 million bond ordinance last week to provide the initial funding of the reconstruction.

Doherty said that Belmar’s property taxpayers will not be on the hook for the cost of the new boardwalk, with FEMA and the borough’s beach utility, which is funded by beach badge fees, paying off the bonds.

“It’s our understanding is that FEMA will pick up 75 percent of the expense, based on the language coming from the White House,” said Doherty, 39. “The remaining amount will come from the beach utility itself. So if you don’t use the beach, you’re not paying for anything. And zero dollars are coming from residential property-tax payers, with no property-tax hike anticipated.”

Beach badge prices are expected to rise from $7 to $8 for daily passes and for $50 to $55 for seasonal passes.

The mayor, a Democrat, had kind words for Governor Christie, but not so kind words for another Doherty, State Senator Michael Doherty.  The senator has proposed legislation that would eliminate a beach town’s ability to sell beach badges if state or federal funds are used to rebuild from Hurricane Sandy.

“I think Gov. Christie has done an outstanding job in his leadership, and one of the things he’s been very effective at is keeping politics out of anything related to the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts,” Doherty, a Democrat, said. “I wish that Sen. Doherty would follow Gov. Christie’s lead as well. It’s nothing more than trying to score cheap political points after arguably the worst natural disaster that our state has ever experienced.”

The bond ordinance is expected to be passed at the December 3 meeting of Belmar’s council.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Announce Reopening of World Trade Center and Exchange Place PATH Service on Monday, November 26

Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that weekday PATH service will resume to Lower Manhattan along the World Trade Center line beginning Monday, November 26 at 5 a.m.

The World Trade Center PATH line will run Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with stops in New Jersey at Newark, Harrison, Journal Square, Grove Street and Exchange Place and in New York at the World Trade Center. Disabled access will be available at Newark and World Trade Center.

Floodwater from the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy had inundated the World Trade Center station, covering its track bed with several feet of water. Port Authority PATH crews have worked around the clock to remove millions of gallons of water from the tracks and platforms and also to fix and replace damaged switching and signal systems as quickly as possible. Weekend service will not yet be available to enable crews to continue the remaining necessary repair work.

The restored service to the World Trade Center will be in addition to the PATH service currently running from Newark in New Jersey to 33rd Street in New York. That line is running seven days a week between the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes stops in New Jersey at Newark, Harrison, Journal Square, Grove Street and Newport stations and stops in New York at 9th, 14th, 23rd and 33rd Street. Once service resumes at the World Trade Center on Monday, service on the 33rd Street line will resume running between Journal Square and 33rd Street and will make all station stops including Christopher Street in Manhattan.

Weekend service on the Journal Square to 33rd Street line extends to Harrison and Newark in New Jersey. Disabled passengers have access to the platforms at Newark, Journal Square, Newport and 33rd Street.

Service at the Hoboken station, which saw unprecedented and widespread flooding remains suspended due to the fact vital switching equipment was destroyed and cannot be salvaged. Crews are working 24/7 to replace the signal equipment and restore communications in the tunnels, a process that is expected to take several weeks.

To provide additional mass transit options from Hoboken to Manhattan, the Port Authority and New Jersey Transit are operating a ferry service from the Hoboken Ferry Terminal. NJ Transit customers will now be able to take a bus to the Hoboken Ferry Terminal and then transfer to a ferry that will take passengers to Pier 79 at 39th street in Manhattan. The fare is $5 and ferries will run back and forth between Hoboken and Manhattan from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Free shuttle buses will be provided from Pier 79 to midtown Manhattan.

Passengers who normally use the Hoboken station to get to Manhattan can also choose to make the ten minute walk to the Newport station, or take advantage of several other ferry and bus alternatives. Ferry service to Lower Manhattan is available from Liberty State Park and to Midtown Manhattan from Weehawken, New Jersey. In addition, NJ Transit has increased the number of No. 106 buses from Hoboken to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in both directions.

For up-to-date information on PATH service, visit the Port Authority’s website at www.panynj.gov/path/and follow them on Twitter @PATHTweet.

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Christie Administration Encourages Insured Residents Affected by Hurricane Sandy to Apply for Assistance

Insured Applicants May Be Eligible for Assistance for Unmet Needs

Trenton, NJ –Disaster assistance may sometimes cover damages that insurance doesn’t. That is why individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy are urged by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to apply for assistance even if they have insurance.

Apply for FEMA assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, or by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Applicants can also register by phone by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), 711/VRS, or TTY 1-800-462-7585.

Only applying directly with FEMA will establish your registration for disaster assistance. Signing up or meeting with any other agency does not mean you are registered with FEMA.

“We want everyone qualified for assistance to receive help as soon as possible,”said State Coordinating Officer Lt. Jeff Mottley.

Keep in mind that you need to file your insurance claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. Failure to file a claim may affect a policyholder’s eligibility for disaster assistance. You have up to 12 months from the date of registration with FEMA to submit insurance information for review.

“By law, we cannot duplicate what insurance already covers. But we may be able to help with some disaster-related expenses, that are not covered by insurance,”explained Federal Coordinating Officer Michael J. Hall.

After filing a claim, if any of the following situations occurs FEMA may be able to provide some assistance:

Your insurance settlement is delayed.

• “Delayed”means a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed longer than 30-days from the time you filed the claim.
• If a decision on your insurance settlement has been delayed, you will need to mail a letter or send a FAX to FEMA explaining the circumstance. Mail or FAX your letter to:

FEMA IHP

National Processing Service Center

PO Box 10055

Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055

FAX 1-800-827-8112

• You should include documentation from the insurance company proving that you filed the claim.
• If you filed your claim over the telephone, you should include the claim number,         date when you applied, and the estimated time of how long it will take to receive        your settlement.
• If you receive FEMA assistance and you later find that your insurance will cover what your FEMA assistance was for, then you must return that money to FEMA because

it is considered a duplicate benefit.

Your insurance settlement is insufficient to meet your disaster-related needs.

• If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance and still have an unmet disaster-related need, you will need to mail or FAX a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating the unmet disaster-related need.
• You will also need to send in documentation from your insurance company on what they cover for review.

You have exhausted the Additional Living Expenses (ALE) provided by your insurance company.

• If you have received the maximum settlement from your insurance for Additional Living Expenses and still need help with your disaster-related temporary housing need, mail or FAX a letter to FEMA at the above address indicating why you continue to have a temporary housing need.
• You will also need to provide documentation to prove use of ALE from insurance,

and a permanent housing plan.

You are unable to locate rental resources in your area.

• The FEMA Helpline has a list of rental resources in the disaster area.

SBA Loans

• Many people who apply for disaster aid also receive an application for a low-interest disaster loan from the SBA. If you receive an application, be sure to fill it out and return it in order

to be considered for all forms of disaster assistance.

• FEMA will process applications for housing assistance regardless of whether or not the applicant has applied for an SBA loan. Eligibility determinations for FEMA’s temporary housing assistance will not be held up because the applicant has or has not filled out an    SBA application.

• You must complete an SBA loan application to be eligible for additional assistance under

the part of the FEMA program that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement,

and moving and storage expenses.

You can apply for an SBA disaster loan online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

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Rasmussen: Respecting Voters Matters More Than Policy

Scott Rasmussen’s column, Respecting Voters Matters More Than Policy, is a must read for all political leaders.  Republican leaders and activists should print two copies…one for the refrigerator door and one for the bathroom mirror.  A third copy to use as a bookmark for the bedside Bible is not a bad idea.

The Republican Party has won a majority of the popular vote just once in the last six elections. That dismal track record followed a party revival in the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan led the GOP to three straight popular vote majorities.

To understand what went wrong, it’s important to remember Reagan was an insurgent candidate who defeated the Republican establishment of his era. When Reagan left office, however, the old establishment reasserted control. They consistently nominated candidates for president who opposed Reagan in 1980 and consistently lost elections.

The difference is that Ronald Reagan believed in the American people and was skeptical of government. Today’s Republican establishment believes in government and is skeptical of the American people. That’s why most Republican voters today believe the party is out of touch with the base.

Consider Mitt Romney’s infamous comments about the 47 percent who are allegedly dependent upon government. After the election, Romney even said that President Obama won by giving “gifts” to these dependent Americans. The Republican establishment grumbles about makers versus takers.

Reagan had a different view. He asked, “How can we love our country and not love our countrymen?” When he passed a major tax reform bill, he was proud that it removed millions of low-income Americans from the income tax rolls. Reagan looked at low-income Americans and saw people who wanted an opportunity to work hard and get ahead. He saw a nation that was happy to extend a helping hand to all who were willing to work.

Read the rest of Scott’s column here.

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