Figure Accounts for Cleanup Costs to Date Plus Rebuilding and Improvements to Infrastructure
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Trenton, NJ – In response to the unprecedented and widespread damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to personal property, businesses, transportation and utilities infrastructure, as well as New Jersey’s $38 billion tourism industry, the Christie Administration has completed a preliminary cost analysis of those damages, which puts the total cost at approximately $29.4 billion. The estimate will be further refined in the days and weeks ahead.
“This preliminary number is based on the best available data, field observations and geographical mapping, and supported by expert advice from my Cabinet commissioners and an outside consulting company,” said Governor Christie. “In a short period of time, we put together a comprehensive and responsible estimate, which may increase in the weeks ahead, and I stand ready to work with our Congressional delegation and the Obama Administration to get the funding support New Jersey expects and deserves in the aftermath of this catastrophe.
“We will continue to provide immediate relief for our citizens who were struck hard by Sandy,” the Governor continued. “But be assured, I will spare no effort and waste no time to rebuild and restore our tourism industry, our transportation and utilities infrastructure and the lives of our citizens for the long term.”
The preliminary cost estimate is inclusive of aid received to date and anticipated from federal sources including FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The estimate will likely be refined further to consider and include the long-term impact on the next tourism season, shifts in population, impact on real estate values and other factors.
Spring Lake resident James Lincoln Turner’s Seven Superstorms of the Northeast: And Other Blizzards, Hurricanes & Tempests is a book that Al Gore and his comrades probably don’t want you to read. Tuner writes of devastating storms in the Northeast dating back to the early 1600’s when the Pilgrims were warming the globe with campfires and horse dung was the biggest transportation related pollution. Turner’s book is filled with historical photos of storms that ravaged the Monmouth County towns of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Sea Bright.
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Earlier this morning I joked that Newark Mayor Cory Booker hasn’t been active on twitter since the Rutgers-Eagleton poll that indicates Governor Chris Christie’s sky high approval ratings.
Turns out that Booker has much bigger problems.
The Star Ledgeris reporting that a Newark City Council meeting erupted into chaos yesterday over Bookers vote to replace Congressman-elect Donald Payne, JR on the council with Shanique Davis Speight, a long time ally of power broker Steven Abudato, SR, over the angry objections of residents and city council members who preferred that former Mayor Sharpe James son, John Sharpe James.
The a crowd lead by SEIU Local 617 President Rahaman Muhammad rushed the dais after Booker cast his deciding vote for Speight. Police responded by pepper spraying Muhammad, residents, a reporter and at least one other police officer. Councilman Darrin Sharif, who had walked off the dais in protest, told the Ledger that “This truly was an out-of-body experience. The mayor, who goes all around the country to talk about democracy … literally in the back of the room, hiding in the shadows.”
The crowd was shouting, “Cory’s got to go,” according to the Ledger report.
Meanwhile, the conservative website The Daily Caller reported that Booker may soon be living on food stamps. The mayor got into twat (a term I just made up that means twitter spat) with one of his followers, @MWadeMC wherein he challeged the woman to join him in living on food stamps for a week or a month in New Jersey to see what it is like.
The Ledger report and the DC report lead to a colorful public twat between Democratic operatives Jay Lassiter (@jay_lass), Jeff Gardner (@JeffPGardner) and Steve Ayscue (@SteveAyscue). Lassiter and Garnder were critical of Booker’s back room dealing, calling him corrupt. Ayscue defended Booker, saying that comparing what happened in Newark last night over Payne’s council seat to former Mayor James corruption was like comparing apples and oranges. The quick witted Garnder responded, “apples and oranges may be different, but in the end, they’re both still fruit.”
The pollsters that Governor Chris Chrisite called “crap” last month released the first post Hurricane Sandy independent poll this morning. The results give the governor extremely high marks for his handling of the superstorm which ravaged the Jersey Shore and impacted 66% of all New Jersey residents.
On October 9, Christie reacted to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll that indicated improving approval ratings but soft support for his reelection by calling the Eagleton polls “crap.”
“It’s never good, it’s never accurate. When it’s good for me, it’s not right, when it’s bad for me it’s not right,” Christie said according to PolitickerNJ. He said he would not comment about future Eagleton polls.
But Sandy was a live changing event. Don’t be surprised if Christie has something honest and refreshing to say about today’s polling results when questioned by a reporter.
92% of the respondents said that Christie handled Hurricane Sandy well. 69% said he handled it “very well” and 23% rated him “somewhat well.”
The other 8% are cranky and don’t like fleece. (MMM’s assessment, not a poll result)
81% answered that Christie and President Obama showed the “needed cooperation and bipartisanship” in handling the aftermath of Sandy. 12% said Christie went too far in his praise of the president.
Christie’s ovrerall favorability rating now stands at 65%, 67% with registered voters.
49% of Democrats, 70% of Independents and 89% of Republicans now have a favorable impression of the governor. Only 38% of Democrats report an unfavorable impression of him, down from 68% in early October.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, considered the only Democrat with a chance to defeat Christie in the 2013 general election, has not been active on twitter since the poll was released.
In early December of 2005 I attended the annual holiday gathering of the Monmouth Ocean Development Council. This particular party stands out in my memory of the hundreds of such parties I’ve attended over the years because of the entertainment. A jazz band from New Orleans was touring the country to raise money for the Katrina recovery efforts. Their music was fabulous. Their plea for help is what stuck with me. It was deep, personal and profound. The wreckage seen on television four months earlier was a distant memory for me, until I felt a little of the pain in that band’s plea.
The difference between hearing about and watching news accounts of a devastating hurricance and living through the aftermath of such a catostrophic event is like the difference between watching porn and having sex, though not nearly as fun. It’s not fun at all.
A growing group of Jersey Shore musicians lead by producer Rick Korn and musical director Michael Mancini are raising money and the spirits of Jersey Shore residents with a concert to support the Rebuild The Jersey Shore efforts on Sunday November 25 in Highlands at the Seastreak Ferry terminal, 325 Shore Drive, at 2 p.m.
The Rebuild The Jersey Shore Band And Friends includes members of the Asbury Jukes, Glenn Alexander, Tony Seguso and bass player Tony Tino. The expanding list of artists scheduled to perform in the Hope for Highlands Concert includes Bob Bandiera, Bob Burger, Lisa Bouchelle, Lisa Lowell, Layonne Holmes, and saxophone legend Tommy LaBella.
Admission to the concert is free. Food and beer will be sold by local restaurants and merchants at the “Taste of Highlands” food court, with profits going to Highlands survivors. There is a $10 parking fee at the Seastreak parking lots in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, which will also go to those impacted by Sandy. Seastreak will provide free ferry service to the concert from Atantic Highlands. There will also be ferry service from New York leaving from E 34th and Pier 11. A $65 fee will include the round trip boat ride, food and the concert. Excess proceeds will go to support Highlands’ Sandy survivors.
The money raised through the concert will be administered by “Hope for Highlands”, a fund set up through the non-profit Highlands Business Partnership under the direction of Mayor Frank Nolan and Councilwoman Rebecca Kane. The Hope for Highlands Fund is designed to go directly to the people and businesses in Highlands that need it most.
“Highlands, like so many devastated small towns up and down the Jersey Shore, was hit extremely hard by Hurricane Sandy”, said Nolan,” This half square mile middle class fishing village, has been devastated with severe damage to over 1200 of its 1500 downtown homes and almost all of its businesses.”
Highlands, the first stop on the Jersey Shore, is known for its spectacular restaurants, Sandy Hook, Historic Twin Lights and its fishing and clamming industry.
“The loss of these homes and businesses has had a ripple effect on the community beyond the norm because many of the residents worked and lived in the town”, said Borough Administrator Tim Hill, “An economically challenged town before the storm, this community is now faced with not only the loss of their homes but many have also lost their jobs.”
LINCROFT, N.J. – Families and individuals in New Jersey who are registered for federal disaster assistance and need a place to live can search through hundreds of rental listings on the FEMA Housing Portal.
The FEMA Housing Portal consolidates rental resources identified and provided by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), and also lists rental properties provided by private organizations and property owners willing to help their neighbors during these difficult times.
FEMA recommends that those who use the portal contact the number on the listing prior to traveling to the location of the property to make sure the property is still available. This site is updated regularly, but available housing units are being filled continuously so FEMA encourages users to check back often for the most current information.
is the story of a small town in the shadow a big city that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It is an encouraging and inspirational tale that will be a great gift for those of us impacted by Sandy.
is a book that Al Gore and his comrades probably don’t want you to read. Tuner writes of devastating storms in the Northeast dating back to the early 1600’s when the Pilgrims were warming the globe with campfires and horse dung was the biggest transportation related pollution. Turner’s book is filled with historical photos of storms that ravaged the Monmouth County towns of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Red Bank and Sea Bright.
