Christie in Keansburg: Sandy Relief Will Fall $17 Billion Short

Photo by Paul Scharff

Governor Chris Christie came to the bayshore with members of his cabinet yesterday with a sobering message for residents battered by Superstorm Sandy who a waiting for government assistance to rebuild their homes and to comply with new government imposed requirements for those homes.

New Jersey sustained $37 billion in damage from Sandy.  Federal assistance to New Jersey will tap out at between $15 and $20 billion, Christie said.

It’s been 15 months since Superstorm Sandy ravaged New Jersey. The first $1.83 billion in relief from the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been spent or is committed.  Another $1.46 billion is being applied for, but it will be another three months at least before that money starts to flow.

The HUD Community Block Development Grants (CBDG) grants are the last resort funding for homeowners and renters/landlords, designed to fill needs not covered by insurance proceeds, FEMA assistance, Small Business Administration loans and other sources.

Before New Jersey receives the $1.46 billion second round of funding, there is a 30 day public comment period on the CDBG Disaster Recovery Action Plan.  The public comment period runs through March 5.  In Monmouth County, there will be a public hearing on February 13 at Brookdale Community College, Robert J. Collins Arena, 765 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft from 4pm-7pm.  There will be hearing is Atlantic County at Stockton University on February 11 and in Essex County at the New Jersey Institute of Technology on the 12th.  Written comments can be submitted via email to [email protected] or can be provided by mail to the attention of Gabrielle Gallagher, NJ Department of Community Affairs, 101 South Broad Street, Post Office Box 800, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0800.  All comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. on March 5, 2014.

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Christie asks FEMA to revise time limit for filing lawsuits over Sandy flood claims

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Toms River Man Wanted For Sandy Fraud

Brian Nogiewich. Photo via Monmouth Co Prosecutors Office

Judge Joseph W. Oxley issued an arrest warrant for Brian Nogiewich, 54, of Toms River, today when Nogiewich failed to surrender to the Monmouth County Super Storm Sandy Fraud Task Force.

Nogiewich is charged with Theft for failing to deliver natural gas powered electrical generators to customers who paid him for them in the wake of Super Storm Sandy, according to a statement from Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The joint investigation by members of the Monmouth County Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force, including the FBI, revealed that Nogiewich accepted payments from two Monmouth County residents in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but failed to either deliver the natural gas-powered generators or refund his customers’ money. One victim paid Nogiewich a deposit of just under $3,000, while the second victim paid him more than $4,700 for the power plant. Neither victim has received a generator or a refund.

The investigation further revealed an application by Nogiewich to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs for a Home Improvement Contractor Registration Number contained false information.

Nogiewich is charged with two counts of third degree Theft by Deception and one count of fourth degree Failure to Register with Division of Consumer Affairs.

Nogiewich has continued to evade authorities since failing to surrender after telling investigators he was in the State of Delaware and would return to New Jersey.  Additional information has led investigators to believe he may also be in Upstate New York.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Nogiewich is urged to call Detective Elethia Baldwin, of this Office at 732-431-7160 ext. 6349 or toll-free at 1-800-533-7443.

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Homeowners Hit By Sandy Get More Time to Appeal Settlements

Homeowners Hit By Sandy Get More Time to Appeal Settlements (via NJSpotlight)

Sandy survivors still battling over their flood insurance claims will now have more time to appeal their settlements. In a bulletin issued yesterday FEMA announced it will extend for another six months the period for Sandy-impacted homeowners to file…

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Hurricane Sandy insurance complaints lead to N.J. enforcement actions against adjusters

Hurricane Sandy insurance complaints lead to N.J. enforcement actions against adjusters (via NJ.com)

Nearly a year after Hurricane Sandy slammed into New Jersey, the state’s insurance regulator has quietly fined a handful of industry professionals over their work following the Oct. 29 superstorm. So far, the Department of Banking and Insurance hasn…

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Legal Clinic For Sandy Survivors on Thursday Afternoon

The Monmouth County Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will be holding a legal clinic to assist Sandy survivors on Thursday afternoon, September 19, from 2pm -4:30pm at the Bayshore Activity Center, 719 Port Monmouth Ave, Port Monmouth, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Monmouth County Department of Consumer Affairs,  FBI, IRS, New Jersey Division of Taxation, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies will be on hand to provide information and assistance to anyone in need.

Attorneys from the Disaster Legal Response Program launched by Volunteer Lawyers for Justice will also be available to consult with people and provide free legal advice. Those requiring further assistance may be referred to volunteer outside counsel (financial eligibility requirements apply).

The hotline for the Monmouth County Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force is (855) SANDY-39. Volunteer Lawyers for Justice may be reached at (855) 301-2525.

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A Second Highlands House Collapses

49 Second Street, Highlands. Click for larger view.

For the second time in less than a month, a home being lifted above the floodplain has collapsed in the borough of Highlands.

At 9:43 this evening the Highlands Police Department received a call that the house at 49 Second Street had collapsed.

The Highlands Fire Department  and eight volunteer members of the Highlands First Aid Squad are on the scene.  There were no injuries reported.  Gas and electric utilities were shut off.  The utility companies have not been notified and neighboring homes have not been evacuated.

The home had already been lifted.  A resident on the scene told MMM that the cause of the collapse is believed to be wind.

On August 23, a house being lifted onto its temporary cribbing collapsed in the borough.  The contractor on the scene of the August

49 Second St, Highlands on July 26. Photo courtesy of Kerry McEntee Gowan via facebook

23rd incident said it was an accident.

There was no contractor on the scene in Highlands tonight.  A lawn sign for Jerome Homes House Lifting was on the Second Street property.

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Along the Shore, rebuilding 9/11 memorials for memory’s sake

Along the Shore, rebuilding 9/11 memorials for memory’s sake (via NJ.com)

The lonely, distinct notes of taps were absent from the Union Beach 9/11 ceremony Wednesday morning. So was the 21-gun salute that once echoed over the Raritan Bay. Instead of the uniformed color guard, the solemn members of American Legion Post 321…

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FEMA OK’s $1.6 million to Sea Girt for Superstorm Sandy Repairs

FREEHOLD, N.J. – The Borough of Sea Girt in Monmouth County received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has awarded more than $1.6 million to help pay for costs that resulted from Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today.

The grant will provide $1,616,817 in Federal funding to Sea Girt to pay for 90 percent of over $1,796,000 in repair costs incurred by Superstorm Sandy. 

Reconstruction will take shape in two phases, after the completion of preliminary work of removing about 6,666 cubic yards of sand by municipal workers, and demolition of the damaged boardwalk by Frank Lurch Demolition. Demolition includes the removal of damaged but intact piles, girders, stringers, plastic decking, railings, and light fixtures. Salvageable decking, light fixtures and railings will be turned over to the town to be reused in the first phase of reconstruction. Sea Girt has contracted with Wallace Contracting, Inc. to complete Phase I, which is 833 linear feet of boardwalk, reusing 896 salvaged deck boards, 320 salvaged timber stringers and 900 feet of salvaged railing. Boardwalk steps and one handicap ramp will be installed, construction includes replacing 50 new, timber piles, 38 new double girder timber pile caps, 360 new timber stringers, 1,030 new lengths of composite boardwalk decking, and 980 feet of new pipe handrail.

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Sea Bright Takes Hurricane Sandy as an Opportunity to Reinvent Itself

Sea Bright Takes Hurricane Sandy as an Opportunity to Reinvent Itself (via NJSpotlight)

When Sandy came ashore last October, Sea Bright’s downtown was severely flooded, with more than a thousand homes and businesses damaged or destroyed and the streets filled with mountains of sand and debris. Ten months later, as the repairs continue…

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