Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Measure would have delayed hikes for five more years
An amendment aimed at halting federal flood insurance rate hikes for five years has been blocked in the U.S. Senate. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) was blocked from coming to a vote Tuesday by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Amendments in the U.S. Senate require what is known as "unanimous consent" before a vote can take place, meaning a single member can block a vote from occurring. Toomey told the New Orleans Times-Picayune Tuesday that he objected to changing reforms put in place last year because he supports the move to "diminish the subsidization that occurs now where homeowners in low-risk areas are made to subsidize in high-risk areas." Landrieu, the newspaper reported, said she will likely reintroduce the …
Monday, May 13, 2013
'Triple whammy' for Shore residents, Menendez says on U.S. Senate floor
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez threw Shore residents a virtual lifeline Thursday, delivering an address on the Senate floor where he urged colleagues to support an amendment to federal legislation that would stop flood insurance rate hikes, at least in the short term. Menendez (D-N.J.) spoke in favor of an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act which would stop flood insurance premiums from rising until FEMA completes its study on the affordability of premiums of the National Flood Insurance Program. Shore homeowners face annual flood insurance premiums of up to $31,000 a year if they do not raise their homes at a significant cost. Many homeowners who were never previously located in flood zones now find themselves being listed as …
Friday, April 26, 2013
May 1 is the final day for residents to apply for federal assistance in aftermath of iHurricane Sandy.
Victims of Hurricane Sandy who suffered storm-related losses have until midnight Wednesday (May 1) to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance. Survivors can register online and check the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. May 1 is also the deadline to return applications for Small Business Administration loans, which are the primary source of federal funds for long-term rebuilding. Those interested in the low-interest loan program can apply for an SBA disaster home or business loan by filling out an online application …
At a recent Stop FEMA Now meeting, Bayville residents expressed frustration over the vague answers they've received about rebuilding.
Homes are still in disrepair following Hurricane Sandy and residents are wondering how best to rebuild. New proposed flood maps could force residents to pay tens of thousands of dollars a year in flood insurance but many still don’t know where their homes fall in the different zones. Homeowners are grappling with decisions like should they elevate or simply leave it all behind. Compounding every single one of these questions is the fact that it’s just too difficult to get a straight answer to satisfy any of them. Before a crowd of about 150 people at Berkeley Township Elementary School Thursday night, representatives from Stop FEMA Now, the grassroots organization opposed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s advisory flood maps, …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Employees who suffered losses during Hurricane Sandy have one week to register with FEMA for assistance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging business owners to remind their Hurricane Sandy-impacted employees to register for disaster assistance before the application deadline expires in just one week. In terms of individual assistance, FEMA is and has provided grants to cover rental assistance, home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance. Assistance grants may also be available to help replace personal property destroyed during the storm and to help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation, and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other funding sources. But Sandy victims need to apply with FEMA by May 1 if they hope to qualify. The push to see Sandy …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The program has been extended several times following Hurricane Sandy.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Transitional Sheltering Assistance program has been extended to April 30, Gov. Chris Christie's Administration announced Thursday, for what is likely the last time following Hurricane Sandy. The purpose of the TSA program is to shelter residents who have lost their homes due to the late October storm. Those participating in the TSA program are being housed in hotels and motels throughout the state. As of Thursday, roughly 219 Sandy-displaced residents are housed through the TSA program. Over the course of the month FEMA, along with the State Departments of Community Affairs and Human Services will work at identifying and securing long-term housing solutions for those who remain in the …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Are you an area business that is Jersey Strong and open for business? Tell us in the comments below the article!
The Jersey Shore is open for business. So promises a video produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) featuring several local businesses that have reopened following Hurricane Sandy. In brief vignettes spliced with images and slogans of the shore's recovery, business owners and employees from Sandy-impacted towns invite customers back to their businesses by letting them know that not only are they open, but that in spite of the late-October storm they remain "Jersey Strong." The Beachcomber in Seaside Heights, Bain's Hardware in Sea Bright, and Used to Be's in Mantoloking are just some of the businesses featured in the video, which ends with a clip of a recent Gov. Chris Christie speech praising New Jersey's residents for …
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Deadline extension applies for homeowner, renter and business registration with SBA
Residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until May 1 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a prepared statement from the governor's office. The deadline extension also applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance. Businesses applying for SBA Economic Injury loans still have until July 31 to apply. The loans are for businesses that did not suffer any physical damage, but lost revenue in Sandy's aftermath. State and federal offiicials have urged all residents and businesses affected by the storm, whether it was through flooding, wind damage or loss of business revenue, …
Friday, March 29, 2013
During a Friday conference call discussing the National Flood Insurance Program, talk shifted to FEMA's flood maps and the potential for change in New Jersey.
The impetus behind releasing its advisory flood maps soon after Hurricane Sandy was simply to aid in the state's disaster recovery, a Federal Emergency Management Agency risk analyst said Friday, noting that they still remain subject to change prior to their official adoption into the National Flood Insurance Program. Discussion about the NFIP as well as the Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps was made during a FEMA conference call late Friday morning and seemed to conflict with Gov. Chris Christie's hurried effort to see the maps adopted as New Jersey's new standard. Doug Bellomo, director of FEMA's Risk Analysis Division, said the agency used the best available scientific data to develop the maps, and while he's confident that they're …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Residents need to submit their applications to the agency by April 1.
Applications for federal disaster assistance are due in just two weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced recently, giving Hurricane Sandy victims who suffered storm-related damages a deadline of April 1 to apply. The disaster aid application deadline has been extended several times already following the late October storm, though the extensions require a request from the governor's office and are not guaranteed. Because of this FEMA encourages those seeking assistance not to wait to register with FEMA and apply for aid. April 1 is also the deadline to return applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest disaster loans, which is the primary source of federal funds for long-term rebuilding, …
Paul
11:32 am on Monday, May 20, 2013
I appreciate the history lesson but why should the government elect to end one subsidy but refuse to end all subsidies that only benefit a few. ie agriculture, oil, etc. I understand your argument that government should not be in the insurance business but to try and correct a decades long wrong on the backs of a few in the short run is not equitable nor should be allowed. Where is the outcry … more ›