Monday, May 20, 2013
Planning a vacation or just a day trip? Patch has all the information on the Shore's best beaches
More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes in the sand, are you wondering what will be accessible after Sandy? Need to know how much it will cost to buy badges to your favorite beach? Curious …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The state urges customers to consult the database before buying a car
The State Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) are urging all customers to consult their database of flood and salvage-titled vehicles before purchasing a car. That database now provides information on 31,000 such vehicles, the State MVC announced on Wednesday. It isn't illegal to sell vehicles with flood or salvaged titles. However, there are specific requirements that ensure potential purchasers are aware of the status of such vehicles, according to the MVC. “Damage sustained by vehicles must be disclosed to prospective buyers,” Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said. “We will hold car dealers accountable for violating our Consumer Fraud Act if they fail to make such disclosures.” The database was …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The measures make it easier for owners to rebuild properties in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
City Council on Thursday gave final approval to its second revised zoning ordinance of 2013 to make it easier for property owners to elevate, rebuild and repair in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The ordinance addresses 10 sections, including decks (existing, nonconforming decks can be elevated where they are within one foot of adjacent habitable space), pergolas (open rafters or trellis work will not be considered roofs) and crawlspaces (extended limitations on use of them as storage space). The attached PDF includes the full text of the revised ordinance and an explanation of the changes (minor changes were made to the text in the attached PDF before final passage). Before the vote on Thursday, Leyte Lane resident Jim O'Rourke asked …
Home buyouts in areas prone to flooding expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary.
Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive loss homes in flood areas and converts the land into open space. Martin said he wanted to be cautious about naming the municipalities that have inquired about the property buyouts as many have …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
NJ Hope and Healing has had more than 14,000 face-to-face contacts since November as they help locals recover from the emotional impact of Superstorm Sandy
The mood has changed. A log from NJ Hope and Healing shows that people impacted by Hurricane Sandy have gone from feeling shocked, sad and tired with a loss of appetite to angry, hopeless and unable to make decisions. “People are having a natural reaction to abnormal circumstances,” said Carol Benevy, Project Lead for NJ Hope and Healing. NJ Hope and Healing is a project sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch, through a FEMA grant. In partnership with Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention, NJ Hope and Healing offers support to communities in the aftermath of Sandy. “We coordinate statewide efforts to help individuals and communities manage the emotional impact of the …
NJHOPELINE received approximately 300 calls in its first days
Although New Jersey has the second-lowest suicide rate in the nation, a new hotline has received approximately 300 calls since it was launched May 1, according to Philly.com. New Jersey’s suicide rate for people ages 35 to 64 increased 31 percent from 1999 to 2010, and as a result the New Jersey Department of Human Services spent $648,981 to create NJHOPELINE, Philly.com reported. Officials have expressed concerns of the emotional impact the stress related to damage and losses from Hurricane Sandy has had and will continue to have, according to Philly.com. Operated by University Behavioral HealthCare at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, the hotline only uses New Jersey-based trained volunteers and professional counselors. The …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
A Toms River family was forced to leave their Sandy-battered home and is now living in an RV parked in their driveway.
You can’t even imagine what it’s like to take a shower in your own home, she said while seated at a table that folds up for easy storage. When the new hot water heater was installed in her home and the bathroom made available for showers for the first time in six months, it’s things like that, she said, that make you appreciate what you’ve really got. Jennifer Russell’s life currently is very much about the small victories. Her family gets to eat dinner together every night. She’s been able to reconnect with friends from high school she hasn’t spoken to, in some cases, for more than two decades. And her parents’ home, despite having been gutted is on its way to being rebuilt. She remains hopeful, said her family remains hopeful, even after…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mantoloking among stops
Prince Harry's stateside visit includes stops in Mantoloking and Seaside Heights scheduled for tomorrow. The May 14 itinerary, announced earlier this month, puts the British royal on the barrier island visiting Hurricane-Sandy damaged areas. The one-day stop in New Jersey will have Gov. Chris Christie escorting Prince Harry, who is in the United States through this week. His schedule has him arriving in Manhattan today after stops in the Midwest. Prince Harry’s Friday itinerary included laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery last week. He also visited Section 60 at the cemetery, which is where military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. Thursday, he was on Capitol Hill and at the…
Friday, May 10, 2013
Mayor Jay Gillian and a consulting firm are working with FEMA to make sure "V Zones" reflect reality.
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Friday, May 10
Mayor Jay Gillian posted his weekly open letter to citizens on Friday, and this edition outlines the measures an outside consulting firm is taking to revise the flood zones designated on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) maps for Ocean City. The maps could have potentially dramatic effects on required building elevations and flood insurance premiums. May 10, 2013 Dear Friends: The City has recently received a progress report from our coastal engineering consulting firm, Atkins, NA. This firm was retained to review and analyze FEMA’s Advisory Base Flood Elevation (ABFE) Maps for Ocean City. The objective is to work with FEMA toward having the next set of maps that are released much more …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Beach communities are inviting visitors back this summer, but even as they continue to rebuild they face misconceptions about lingering destruction.
It’s an enduring image of Hurricane Sandy’s destruction of the Jersey Shore and its coastal communities. The Jet Star roller coaster, rising out of its saltwater foundation, is a representation of the sheer force of nature, one seen in publications around the world in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Every day the ride has spent in the Atlantic Ocean since is a reality of just how long recovery can actually take. Eventually it will be removed, and likely soon, but what it represents, like every tattered boardwalk, every crushed house, and flooded business, is likely to linger much longer. And it's what the Jersey Shore, and the people trying to maintain its tourism appeal, are fighting against. As New Jersey’s beach towns ready …
pay to sit on a south end beach?
8:45 am on Monday, May 20, 2013
But - take a look at the beaches in the south end of Ocean City with the introduction of this clay like muck they have dumped there recently. Should anyone have to pay to go onto that beach? It is such a shame how this erosion in the south end has been so mismanaged and more over, it is just so unnecessary that things cannot be handled competently by well paid city staff. No - it is not the fault… more ›