Hurricane Sandy

Deadline to Apply for FEMA, SBA Extended to May 1

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, …

•  44 Comments
• Photos (4)

Hurricane Sandy

Flood Maps Could Change for Mainland Communities

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 …

•  62 Comments
• Photos (1)

JMS

2:27 pm on Monday, April 1, 2013

@ Just wondering.. I am really at a loss for words.. I have not heard any such thing; we are a monmouth county agent and like I said I have a client in Toms River who is proceeding with his ICC claim, he was told no such thing; maybe you can bypass you're agent and contact the flood insurance company directly??? just a thought; I don't know who you have; maybe I would be of some assistance, lmk..   more ›

As April 1 Deadline Nears: Things Sandy Survivors Should Know

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) releases a tip sheet on seeking assistance in aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Here is some helpful information New Jerseyans should know as they continue their recoveries from Hurricane Sandy. FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. — News release from FEMA

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Christie Predicts FEMA Will Scale Back Flood Maps

Governor provides update on rebuilding, with focus on flood maps and Blue Acres buyout, and plenty of anecdotes

Gov. Chris Christie predicted the Federal Emergency Management Agency will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December, according to news reports. Those maps place many more properties in flood zones, requiring many of them to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates soar, according to reports. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov. Christie at Thursday's town hall meeting. He was addressing a packed crowd of officials and residents in the Hurricane Sandy damaged town of Manasquan, and Christie returned to the complicated and controversial topic of what would …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (5)

Hurricane Sandy

Funding to Replenish Sandy Food Donations

The grant will provide $75,000 to the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

The New Jersey Department of Human Services was awarded grant funding to help replenish food supplies used during Hurricane Sandy to feed low income, elderly residents, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, and Robert Menendez, D-NJ, announced Tuesday. The $75,000 grant will be used to provide county Area Agencies on Aging with funds to replenish the supply of shelf-stable meals used during the storm to feed victims, a release from the senators' office said. "This funding is another example of the federal government stepping up to take care of New Jersey in the wake of Superstorm Sandy," Lautenberg, a lead author of the Sandy relief legislation, said in a release.  "Once Sandy struck, the State moved quickly to make sure the most vulnerable …

•  8 Comments
• Photos (1)

N.J. Recovery From Hurricane Sandy: By the Numbers

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) releases a statistical snapshot of its disaster relief efforts.

The following is from a FEMA news release: Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Hurricane Sandy by the numbers as of March 4: Survivors can register online and check on 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. Recovery assistants remain available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The deadline for survivors to register with FEMA for federal disaster assistance and return SBA disaster loan applications is Monday, April 1. Survivors can ask questions about their SBA disaster home or business loan applications by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339 or …

• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

FEMA Offers Rebuilding and Repair Advice

The ongoing workshops are being held in several home improvement stores throughout the area.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing free advice on how to repair or rebuild your Hurricane Sandy-damaged home at several home improvement stores throughout the area. With an eye on rebuilding to mitigate future disaster damage, FEMA experts will be on hand to offer building techniques that can help protect homes, businesses and other properties.  Among the topics advice is being offered on are: •             Ridding a home of mold and mildew. •             Understanding flood- and wind-resistant building methods. •             Knowing the benefits of flood insurance. •             Elevating or anchoring utilities. Sepecialists are on hand today, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 16 from 8:30 a.m…

•  18 Comments
• Photos (1)

Hurricane Sandy

Months After Sandy, Insurance Still Not an Answer

Residents of Union Beach met with Rep. Frank Pallone on Tuesday to air grievances about insurance.

Randall Kidd’s story isn’t unique. A Union Beach resident, he’s faithfully paid into the National Flood Insurance Program for years, insuring his home against the kind of flood damage caused by Hurricane Sandy with a $217,000 policy he hoped would make him whole. After his home was destroyed by the late October storm, Kidd set about filling out the appropriate paperwork, meeting with adjusters who came in from out of state and waiting for the check to arrive so he could start to work. Finally, the check did come, but for $89,000, less than half of what contractors have told him it will cost to rebuild his home. In a crowded conference room at Union Beach’s municipal building, Kidd and other area residents met to find an answer, or at least…

•  12 Comments
• Photos (2)

Seeking Stability, Port Monmouth Family Lifts House 8 Feet Above Ground

Michele Pitzer has given up waiting for federal grant money and is moving forward to bring her family back home.

JERSEY SHORE -- Michele Pitzer realizes her family's newly elevated house looks awkward in the context of her Port Monmouth neighborhood.  But being without a permanent home since Oct. 29 has taken too high a toll on her family. She is determined to bring her two young children back to the only home they have ever known -- back to a more stable environment -- and is not willing to wait months or even years to get a financial contribution from the government to do so.  "Everybody has comments and opinions about what I'm doing," she said, referring to things she's heard about on Facebook. "Other survivors have asked me in the FEMA office, 'Why did you move forward on this?' My answer to them is, 'I'm just trying to do the right thing by my …

•  14 Comments
• Photos (3)

Christie on Delays in Sandy Aid: 'Please Be Patient'

Plans are being formulated at the state level for how to spend Hurricane Sandy relief aid, but the money hasn't come in yet.

The state is developing plans for how and where to best allocate Hurricane Sandy relief aid, writing proposals for putting together lists for its various relevant agencies, from Housing and Urban Development to the Department of Transportation. The money will come, Gov. Chris Christie told a crowd in Union Beach Tuesday, and it will be used to rebuild New Jersey and get residents back into their hurricane-ravaged homes. Be patient, he said. The check hasn't been written yet. Christie joined other local legislators in celebration after a $50.7 billion hurricane relief bill passed in a contentious U.S. House of Representatives in January before heading off to the U.S. Senate for approval and finally to President Barack Obama’s desk for a …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)