A new reality television show plans to film on the Jersey Shore this spring but expect less “gym, tan, laundry” and more hammers, paint and sawdust. The series is a part of a project launched by Humanity TV’s TravelTelevision to focus attention on the ongoing Hurricane Sandy rebuilding effort in New Jersey and drive people to… Read the rest of this entry »
Of the nearly 75,000 flood-insurance claims that New Jersey homeowners filed in the aftermath of Sandy, FEMA says that the National Flood Insurance Program had paid 58,055 policyholders a total of $3.9 billion as of early last month. But 6,532 claims were rejected and closed without payment, and throughout the region, some 1,500 cases remain bogged… Read the rest of this entry »
UNION BEACH — Nine months ago Richard Drake opened a letter notifying him of a 55-fold increase in his flood insurance premium even though he and his wife, Sandra, raised their Union Beach home three feet above federal requirements. Since then, Drake feared the $33,000-a-year bill would force his family to walk away from the home… Read the rest of this entry »
TOMS RIVER — The state plans to spend most of the half billion dollars in Hurricane Sandy recovery funding allocated to New Jersey in the final round of aid from the federal government on affordable rental housing programs and grants for people who want to rebuild. But residents who spoke at a public hearing today in… Read the rest of this entry »
Katharine Koehler’s big idea began with a simple act of kindness. She brought coffee into Sandy-battered towns on the Raritan Bay for stunned homeowners and the volunteers helping them clean up and, in many cases, clean out. “I remember seeing heaps of people’s belongings – dressers, tables, chairs, all this furniture and household furnishings piled up… Read the rest of this entry »
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 »
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… Read the rest of this entry »
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… Read the rest of this entry »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.
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 »© Copyright 2025 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved