A Sandy recovery house from hell | Di Ionno

The unfinished front stairs to Joseph Ready’s elevated house in Union Beach look like something out of the game “Mousetrap.” Skinny, rickety, with bare-bones framing, the stairs lead to a shaky, rail-less landing 20 feet in the air. Ready worries some kid will climb up on a dare and bring the whole thing down. “It’s an… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sea Bright favorite Donovan’s Reef reopens tiki bar post Hurricane Sandy

SEA BRIGHT — When borough resident Daniel Ekdahl heard that Donovan’s Reef was reopening its tiki bar on Friday afternoon, he was the first in line and bought the first beer they sold this season. He returned each day of the weekend. “I’ve known Donovan’s my whole life,” said Ekdahl, 33, remembering that his parents used… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sandy-related contractor complaints piling up | Di Ionno

Weeds now envelop the pile of broken concrete slab where Nancy Wirtz’s home once stood. A swing set, bowed and rusted from neglect, is the only remnant of the place where she raised two children. It was a simple house, like most in the Forked River Beach section of Lacey Township. Compact and rectangular, it was… Read the rest of this entry »

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Why New Jersey Got Billions Less Than New York in FEMA Disaster Aid After Sandy

In the two-and-a-half years since Superstorm Sandy, while the Garden State has struggled to recover, many people have puzzled over the question of why New Jersey has received substantially less federal aid than New York, even though both states suffered roughly the same amount of damage — close to $37 billion. Much of the focus has… Read the rest of this entry »

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N.J. to shift Sandy relief money to program for lower-income residents

TRENTON — New Jersey plans to shift nearly $30 million in Hurricane Sandy relief aid into a rebuilding program for low-to-moderate income residents whose homes were damaged in the storm, state officials announced on Monday. The money will be diverted from three other Sandy-related programs, including one that provides grants to towns to maintain essential services… Read the rest of this entry »

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Will Sandy recovery help or hurt Christie? | Di Ionno

Today, Jon Bon Jovi is hosting a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in his French Chateau overlooking the Navesink River. It’s a mile from Jyll Jakes’ neighborhood in Sea Bright, where every other house remains boarded up. “It’s a still mess down here. I think people have forgotten how bad it is,” said Jakes, who credits… Read the rest of this entry »

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RREM’d again: Some Sandy Victims Have Second Thoughts About Reopening Insurance Claims

Sandy Maglio and her husband Louis stand on the back deck of their home in Beach Haven West, which was damaged during Sandy. Sitting with her husband on the back deck of their home on a quiet cul-de-sac in the Beach Haven West section of Stafford Township, Sandy Maglio looks out on a channel where her…

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FEMA official: Government let Hurricane Sandy victims down

FEMA Official Brad Kiesrman is leaving the agency for a job with the American Red Cross

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Federal Flood Insurance Reformer Quits

Brad J. Kieserman, the federal official assigned to reform the National Flood Insurance Plan and to re-open thousands of Superstorm Sandy related claims amid allegations that thousands of homeowners were short changed, has resigned his post in order to take a job at the Red Cross, according to a report on Newsday.

A 28 year employee of the federal government, Kieserman took on the reform of NFIP only 3 months ago in February. FEMA annouced four months ago that it would settle every disputed case but only about a dozen checks have been issued.

Appearing in Hoboken last week with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, as well as Highlands residents Kerry and Jamie Gowan who where representing the 70,000 New Jersey residents with claims to be reviewed by FEMA, Kieserman pledged that the government would do better in the tasks of “people caring for people.”

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Highlands Couple Represents Sandy Victims Cheated By Flood Insurance Adjusters

Kerry and Jamie Gowan of Highlands appeared in Hoboken today with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker as the legislators announced the reopening of thousands of flood insurance claims related to Superstorm Sandy.

Kerry spoke to the gathered press about her family’s ordeal swimming from their home on October 29, 2012, and the nightmare that has multiplied since.  She said her flood insurance claim paid about half of what the family was due.

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