Shore Blvd, Keansburg Oct. 30, 2012
TRENTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency should stop demanding that Hurricane Sandy victims pay back money they mistakenly received from the government, members of the New Jersey congressional delegation said in a letter released today. Both U.S. senators and 10 of the state’s 12 U.S. representatives signed a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate asking… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: December 17th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Bob Menendez, Chris Smith, Congress, Cory Booker, FEMA, Frank Pallone, Hurricane Sandy, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: Bob Mendendez, Chris Smith, Cory Booker, Craig Fugate, FEMA, Frank Pallone, Hurricane Sandy, NJ Congressional Delegation, Superstorm Sandy | Comments Off on N.J. lawmakers to FEMA: Stop demanding Sandy victims give back government overpayments
NEW YORK (AP) — When Superstorm Sandy left Denise Erickson’s home with a collapsed foundation, a loan from the Small Business Administration looked like the best deal in town. She got more than $150,000 from the SBA to help fix her family’s Bellmore home, but the loan has left her with a $651 monthly payment and…
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Months of pressure from storm survivors and lawmakers in New Jersey and New York culminated Friday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency committing to reform key parts of the National Flood Insurance Program. The program covers more than five-and-a-half million policyholders across the country, and it’s been an important part of the Sandy recovery, paying out…
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Congressman Chris Smith, center, meet with Middletown Administrator Anthony Mercantante, Public Works Director Ted Maloney, Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore (right) in the Township’s new Emergency Command Center on the 2nd Anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.
Congressman Chris Smith visited Howell and Middletown Townships on the second anniversary of Superstorm Sandy to assess the progress of recovery and determine remaining needs to be fought for in Washington.
Smith joined Mayor Bill Gato and Deputy Mayor Rob Nicastro at the Mariners Cover community along the Manasasquan River to the the sites of four demolished homes that had been damaged by Sandy and Hurricane Irene in 2011, and one remaining home that is slated for demolition. The homes were purchased by the township with state and federal funding.Disney Princess Chambre de rebond
In Middletown, Smith joined Mayor Stephanie Murray, Committeeman Tony Fiore, Administrator Anthony Mercantante and Public Works Director Ted Maloney in the Township’s Emergency Command Center from where Fiore directed the rescue and recovery efforts two years earlier in the aftermath of the storm, before touring three sites in the Township still in need of federal support. While in the command center Smith recalled that NBC’s Andrea Mitchell showed up and asked to interview him. “I told her to interview Fiore because he was the one doing the work. She refused, so I spent the interview talking about him and the amazing work he was doing protecting the lives and property of his community.” Fiore was Mayor during the recoveries of Hurricanes Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012.
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Posted: October 30th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Army Corp of Engineers, Chris Smith, FEMA, Howell, Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy, Middletown, Monmouth County, New Jersey, Stephanie Murray, Tony Fiore | Tags: Anthony Mercantante, Army Corp of Engineers, Committeeman Tony Fiore, Congressman Chris Smith, Deputy Mayor Rob Nicastro, FEMA, FEMA Director Craig Fulgate, Howell Township, Hurricane Irene, Mayor Bill Gato, Mayor Stephanie Murray, Middletown Township, Superstorm Sandy, Ted Maloney | Comments Off on Smith Visits Monmouth On Sandy Anniversary
After Closing On A RREM Grant, DCA Says A New Home For Vietnam Vet Is Not In The Cards
By Art Gallagher
Russell Card Jr removes his “family crest” from his family’s home in Highlands in preparation for demolition . Photo via facebook
A Vietnam Veteran from Highlands and his 65 year-old wife had their expectations of a new home crushed last week when their RREM approved builder informed them that a stop work order had been placed on their project by the Department of Community Affairs, with no explanation. The family had prepared their house for demolition, based upon promises from DCA/RREM, and now fear they will be without a home.
Russell Card, a 72 year-old Vietnam Veteran from Highlands closed on his $150,000 RREM grant on July 28. He put up his $18,000 escrow to cover the difference between the cost of the project and the amount granted. Card, his wife Maureen and son Russell Jr, 35, prepared their home (which was built in the 1890’s and in the family since 1933) for demolition. They moved most of their belongings into a POD on their immaculately maintained property and moved themselves into an apartment the size of the living room in the Bay Avenue house they have lived in since 1986. By mid-September all the utilities were disconnected at the house and it was ready for demolition before their new home would be built. The funding for the new home was the RREM grant, a gap grant of $30,000 from Gap Funding Initiative and $17,762 that was remaining from a $55,000 grant Mrs. Card had received from her employer, CareOne, after Sandy filled their home with eight feet of water on October 29, 2012.
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Posted: October 1st, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, DCA, Department of Community Affairs, FEMA, Flooding, Highlands, Housing, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County, RREM, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: America's Home Plan, CBI-Shaw, Chris Adler, Christie Administration, Community Health Law Project, DCA, Deanna Loicono, Department of Community Affairs, Highlands, Lisa Ryan, Monmouth County, Reconstruction Rehabilitation Elevation and Mitigation, RREM, RREM grants, Russell Card, Russell Card Jr, Russell Card Sr | 10 Comments »
Dr. Dale Whilden, President of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Assoc, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Sen Jennifer Beck, Gov Chris Christie, Congressman Chris Smith and Neptune Mayor Dr. Michael Brantley cut the ribbon of Ocean Grove’s rebuilt boardwalk
After being twice denied funding from FEMA before finally getting $2.4 million on their second appeal, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association re-opened their boardwalk to the public today with a ceremonial ribbon cutting lead by Governor Chris Christie, Congressman Chris Smith, Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Neptune Township Mayor Dr. Michael Brantley and Dr. Dale C. Whilden, President of the OGCMA.
“Today is truly a great day for Ocean Grove, Neptune Township, Monmouth County, and the Jersey Shore, and a critical step forward in our recovery from Sandy,” said Smith.”This boardwalk is an integral part of Ocean Grove the neighboring Jersey Shore community, a fact we reinforced during our efforts to reverse FEMA’s original decision at the local level—and yet another at the regional level—to deny critical funding.”
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Posted: July 3rd, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Chris Smith, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Jennifer Beck, Neptune, Neptune Township, News | Tags: Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, Chris Christie, Congressman Chris Smith, Dr. Dale C. Whilden, Dr. Michael Brantley, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove boardwalk, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, Senator Jennifer Beck, Superstorm Sandy | Comments Off on Ocean Grove Opens Its New Boardwalk
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Posted: May 1st, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Belmar, FEMA, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: Belmar, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, Department of Homeland Security, DHS, FEMA, Ferreira Construction, J.H. Reid, Matt Doherty | Comments Off on Belmar’s Sandy debris removal costs questioned by federal auditors
FEMA extends flood insurance filing deadline by 6 months (via
NJ.com)
Homeowners filing flood insurance claims from damage caused by Hurricane Sandy now have more time to submit paperwork supporting their cases. The Federal Emergency Management Agency — which oversees the National Flood Insurance Program — is extending…
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Posted: April 29th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: FEMA, Flooding, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: FEMA, Flood Insurance, Hurricane Sandy, Superstorm Sandy | Comments Off on FEMA extends flood insurance filing deadline by 6 months
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Posted: April 28th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Christie Administration, DEP, Environment, FEMA, Flooding, NJ Department of Environmental Protection | Tags: DEP, DEP Commissioner Bob Martin, Hurricane Sandy, RREM, RREM grants, Sandy Elevation Program, Superstorm Sandy | 1 Comment »
New Jersey’s economy should be booming with reconstruction. It isn’t.
There should be hundreds of construction workers in Highlands, Union Beach, Sea Bright and other Sandy impacted communities every day. They are not working and don’t look to be anytime soon.
Short changed by insurance companies/the National Flood Insurance Plan. Arduous applications for aid followed by red tape, bureaucratic incompetence and rules that halt rebuilding. Expensive and time consuming zoning approvals to rebuild what was there before. Pleas for help are answered with finger pointing between bureaucrats at different levels of government who are getting paid for their bullshit and going home every night.
“GO, GO, GO, REBUILD, you’ll get reimbursed,” we were told after the storm. We trusted our government. They lied.
Posted: April 23rd, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: #STTS, FEMA, National Flood Insurance Plan, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: #STTS, FEMA, Highlands, National Flood Insurance Plan, Sea Bright, Stronger than the storm, Superstorm Sandy, Union Beach | Comments Off on Stronger than the storm?
