Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon told MMM that FEMA is bring temporary housing online at that New Jersey residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy and in need of temporary housing should visit a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, even if they have previously been turned down for assistance by the agency.
In Monmouth County the DRCs are located at:
Belmar Municipal Bldg., 601 Main St., Belmar, N.J. 07719
Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center, 945 Highway 36, Leonardo, N.J. 07737
Long Branch Fire Station #4, 199-205 Union Ave., Long Branch, N.J. 07740
Union Beach Municipal Building, 650 Poole Ave., Union Beach, N.J. 07735
Click here for DRC locations elsewhere in New Jersey.
O’Scanlon said that any resident in need of temporary housing that is not satisfied after visiting a DRC should call his office at 732-933-1591 for assistance.
The State Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee toured the damaged areas of Union Beach and Highlands today before convening their scheduled hearing at the Henry Hudson Regional High School in Highlands.
State Senator Joe Kyrillos, who represents the Bayshore in Trenton, issued the following statement following the hearing:
Touring the damage today in Union Beach and Highlands gave my colleagues in the Senate a good visual of the destruction this storm wrought on our district and Monmouth County as a whole. However, the testimony from members of the community who are putting their lives back together best illustrated the anguish and exhaustion our friends and neighbors are going through. I thank members of the Committee for coming out to the Bayshore today.
They also got to see the best New Jerseyans have to offer: neighbors helping neighbors, residents rebuilding with dedication and courage, and the generosity of charities such as the Robin Hood Foundation that announced today their contribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars to relief efforts in Sea Bright, Highlands, Keansburg, and Union Beach.
As FEMA continues to assess the damage and make plans to compensate victims and help them rebuild, I encourage them to remember words of the residents who came to Highlands to testify. The perception that the New Jersey shoreline is only for wealthy vacationers who live elsewhere is a false one. This area is full of hard-working, middle class families whose homes have been in their families for generations and will have a difficult time rebuilding what they’ve lost even with flood insurance. It is incumbent upon us to work together and ensure they are able to rebuild their homes to the condition in which they existed prior to the storm, or help them find a new home elsewhere if rebuilding in certain areas is too dangerous. Only then will their lives truly be made whole after this unique event.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon said that the tour and the hearing dispelled any notion that some legislators have heard from their consitituients that FEMA and the State are bailing out exclusively well to do and second home owners on the shore who should have known better than the build near the water.
“This one was different,” said O’Scanlon, “properties were never touched by previous major storms and hurricanes were destroyed this time. Hard working familes whose homes have been passed down four generations lost everything. Every town is different and it is appropriate that the Committee came and meet the people of the Bayshore.”
Highlands Mayor Frank L. Nolan gave FEMA a “D” when asked to grade the federal agency by Senator Jeff Van Drew. “Do you say B?” ask Van Drew. “D, as in not good,” responded Nolan.
Nolan gave the FEMA personnel on the ground an A+, saying his issues are with the agency’s bueracracy and red tape.
Nolan also announced that the Rainbow Foundation has pledged $200,ooo for Highlands recovery.
Councilwoman-elect Tara Ryan asked the committee to keep up the pressure on the National Park Service to open Sandy Hook by this summer, citing the park’s importance to the Northern Monmouth economy.
State Senator Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) is not waiting for Newark Mayor Cory Booker to decide if he’s running for Governor in 2013 or U. S. Senator in 2014. She’ll compete for the Democratic nomination for Governor next year.
Buono launched her campaign website, including a YouTube announcement that she’s running, this morning.
For weeks pundits and Democratic players have said that a Booker for Governor candidacy would clear the field for the gubernatorial nomination. Buono’s announcement nixes that wishful thinking and assures that there will be a contested primary for the right to take on Governor Chris Christie next November. In her video announcement, the candidate said she would not have the support of the party bosses but would “stake her chances on the folks in the grocery stores and train stations.”
Buono’s announcement means there will be a vacancy for the 18th Legislative District Senate seat, which she has held since 2002.
Booker told CBS’s Face the Nation that we would announce his intentions before Christmas.
Should Booker decline to run, expect at bloody primary between Buono and Senate President Steve Sweeney.
State Senator Ronald Rice (D-Newark) is not satisifed that Governor Christie’s nomination of an Asian American to the State Supreme Court represents the racial diversity of New Jersey.
That the nominee, Judge David F. Bauman, the presiding Judge of the Monmouth County Court’s Civil Division, is a former U.S. Marine like Rice, did not satisfy the senator. “That doesn’t carry the weight a good African American would. Even in the Marines we had race riots during Vietnam,” said Rice according to PolitickerNJ.
Rice said that diversity in this state should always include African Americans, Latinos, and women.
Senator Ray Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) also said that race would be a factor as he considers Christie’s nominees, Bauman and BPU President Robert Hanna. Lesniak said that he wants to be highly confident that the nominees would use their independent judgement in interpreting the law and that they “will not be caught looking
Governor Chris Christie announced the nominations of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman and Board of Public Utilities President Robert M. Hanna to be Associate Justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Christie said that the nominations represented a political compromise on his part. The Democratically controlled State Senate, which must confirm the nominees, blocked the governor’s two previous nominees in part over the partisan balance of the Court. Bauman is a Republican. Hanna is an Independent voter.
Both men have been previously confirmed by the Senate for the current position. Christie quoted the accolades that Democrats bestowed upon each nominee during their previous confirmation hearings.
Christie said the Bauman’s nomination is a nod to the Senate’s demand for racial diversity on the Court. Bauman is an Asian-American who was born in Japan.
Governor Chris Christie held a press conference this morning to announce his two most recent State Supreme Court nominees, Judge David F. Bauman, the presiding Judge the Monmouth County Court’s Civil Division and Robert M. Hanna, President of the Board of Public Utilities.
Hearing will be soley to hear from members of the public
The Senate Budget and Appropriations has heard from local officials, first responders and representatives of utilities companies in the last two weeks. This week they want to hear from members of the public who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. The committee will convene in Highlands on Tuesday, December 11, 3PM at Henry Hudson Regional High School. The hearing is scheduled to go until 7PM.
“The first two hearings have provided us with a tremendous amount of feedback and ideas from those who were on the ground during the storm,” said Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen, Passaic), chairman of the Committee. “What we really need now though is to hear directly from those affected by the storm. We can’t move forward in this process with direct input from the public. While I know it may be difficult given individual circumstances, we wanted to present an opportunity for people to come and share their experiences, so that we can learn from them.”
“We are further driven to immediately help our state recover as we connect with our small business owners, first responders and residents fighting to overcome devastation from Sandy,” added ranking committee member Senator Tony Bucco, (R-Morris). “An integral step toward revitalizing New Jersey is fully grasping the struggles and needs of those in Highlands and surrounding areas.”
Those wishing to speak at the hearing must register in advance via email [email protected]; fax , 609-943-5995 or by calling the committee staff at 609-847-3835.
Anyone providing written testimony is asked to provide 20 copies on the day of the hearing.
LONG BRANCH, NJ—Following an afternoon conference call with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released a statement voicing his concern over the agency’s response to the housing and humanitarian crisis still impacting thousands of New Jersey residents.
The following are his comments:
“I was disturbed to learn of FEMA’s altered plans to provide temporary housing to hurricane Sandy victims. In the immediate aftermath of the storm I like most New Jerseyans, took solace in FEMA’s promises of housing assistance to those whose homes were badly damaged or destroyed by the hurricane. I believed that FEMA would honor its commitments to ensure that people who lost their homes would be furnished with temporary alternative housing like trailers or mobile homes as we have seen after similar disasters throughout the nation.
“Unfortunately, I am far less confident in FEMA’s willingness to assist our community in light of a conference call I participated in today with agency representatives. I was told that, rather than maintaining their earlier commitment to provide adequate temporary housing to towns for those seeking to stay on their own property, FEMA is no longer planning on providing mobile homes and trailers. Instead, the agency suggests that New Jerseyans make accommodations on their own if they choose to stay on their property and in their communities. The agency suggested that residents use their FEMA vouchers and to contribute to the cost of acquiring and renting RVs, mobile homes and trailers from as far away as Pennsylvania.
“In short, it is outrageous that there is not enough hosing available for Sandy victims and even more confounding that FEMA is suggesting that housing stocks are adequate. I find it concerning that FEMA’s statements on today’s conference call directly contradicted their tone from earlier on in the Sandy crisis. For Sandy victims, the stress of rebuilding and or rehabilitating their homes has been unfathomable. People are still struggling more that a month after the storm and trying to regain any sense of normalcy possible to get their lives back on track. The last thing they need is to worry that the deck is even further stacked against them as a result of FEMA’s unwillingness to provide temporary housing.
“It is vital to the survival of our communities that our neighbors stay together, our kids stay in their schools and we rebuild our towns, public facilities and infrastructure swiftly and thoughtfully and we need FEMA to help us in that pursuit.
“I urge FEMA to utilize their available resources and distribute as many mobile home units as possible to New Jersey’s affected areas. People are running out of resources and patience and it is time that FEMA fulfills its commitments and comes through on its promise of assistance to our area.”
