Monday, May 20, 2013
The buyouts in areas like Sea Bright, 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…
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 15, 2013
The project also includes safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) plans to begin a safety improvement and congestion relief project along a 1.25 mile stretch of Route 35 near the Aberdeen and Old Bridge border, according to a press release from the agency. The section of Route 35 between Greenwood Avenue and Prospect Avenue, NJDOT said, experiences regular flooding due to its proximity to Long Neck Creek and Whale Creek. The $15.7 million project will raise the level of Route 35 by as much as four feet, with the highest increases in elevation at the culverts of each creek. Culverts are open drains that allow water to flow under a roadway. The project also includes replacing the drainage pipes with larger culverts to minimize tidal flooding. At the same…
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Aberdeen Road is known for flooding, but one man did not heed the road blocks warning drivers of the dangers ahead.
A Port Monmouth man found himself up Matawan Creek without a paddle Wednesday morning when his car stalled out in flood water on Aberdeen Road. According to Matawan Police Lt. Ben Smith, the 77-year-old driver navigated around the "Road Flooded" signs warning motorists of the danger ahead. The stretch of roadway floods often, and the way it dips next to the creek can make the depth of the water on the road deceiving. Members of the Matawan Borough Fire Department who are water-rescue certified came to the driver's aid. In waterproof suits, firefighters Richard Michitsch and Brian Kopf guided Marine-29-1, a zodiac boat, out to the Mercury and helped the man out of his car. According to Assistant Fire Chief Zee Varsanyi, when the …
Water flooded past the beach and up local streets Wednesday morning.
Heavy rains and the approaching high tide resulted in severe flooding in Cliffwood Beach along the Raritan Bay this morning. Photos posted on the Aberdeen-Matawan Joint Community Emergency Response Team Facebook are reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy, minus the pounding waves that destroyed over ten homes in the beachfront section of Aberdeen Township. The photos were shared with Patch by the photographer, who is a member of CERT. He noted that they were taken Wednesday morning before high tide. As of 9 a.m., the rain and high tide flooded Route 35 between Cliffwood Avenue and County Road. Local police have shut down the section of highway in both directions and are diverting traffic locally while they wait for the water to recede, according …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
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 …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
As residents remain anxious in the aftermath of Sandy, the agency says it is offering tips and information about mitigation.
Navigating her way through the piles of paperwork, through meetings with contractors and the near never-ending stream of advice coming at her from every direction is a new experience for Jacqueline Capestro. Then again, so was watching ocean water surge down the street and into her home. For the 22 years she’s lived there, Capestro had never once seen her Bradley Beach home flood. When she returned following Hurricane Sandy to assess the damage she found her floorboards buckled, the furniture destroyed, and a flood line on the wall three feet from the floor. After initial shock slowly shifted to resolve, Capestro was left without an answer to one very important question: What now? In Capestro’s case, and in the case of many New Jersey’s …
Friday, October 26, 2012
Stresses storm may knock out power for 7-10 days
Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) President Don Lynch says the company has learned from the mistakes it made from Hurricane Irene and is ready for Hurricane Sandy and the threat it poses to the state. The company took heat when Hurricane Irene left many New Jersey towns without power for days - and, in some cases, weeks. Many thought JCP&L's response was too slow. The biggest lesson learned is getting the information out to customers and municipalities as specifically, quickly and often as possible, Lynch said. The company wants its customers to know as much information as possible, he said. "Just know that Jersey Central will be working hard day and night - we've already started, should that storm hit shore here and cause outages …
Utility cautions that using generators can be dangerous
JCP&L is getting ready for Hurricane Sandy, with extra staff on standby and a lot of lessons learned. JCP&L clearly has not forgotten the criticism it took after Tropical Storm Irene ravaged New Jersey in August 2011. Utility officials learned from it, made a wide array of improvements in technology, communications and planning and they're ready to put that to the test, said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano. "We've made improvements to how we provide customer information," Morano said, adding the company is doing all it can to prepare for Sandy and to plan on how to keep officials and residents informed and well-served. For starters, JCP&L is doing what everyone else is doing: closely watching weather forecasts, trying to figure out when and …
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Five helicopters signal president's arrival as crowd lines Passaic Avenue.
President Barack Obama, wearing a blue buttoned-down shirt, waved to a crowd along Passaic Avenue in Fairfield Sunday from the back of his black motorcade car as he sped toward Wayne and Paterson to tour flood-ravaged areas. Obama could be seen briefly in his motorcade after arriving at Essex County's airport in Fairfield in one of five military helicopters that landed between 12:25 and 12:45 p.m. Police presence was heavy all along Passaic Avenue, while sharpshooters could be seen on top of the buildings at the airport. A line of buses were parked in front of the landing area so the view of his disembarking was blocked from the crowds. Crowds of local residents lined parking lots and grassy lawns of businesses along Passaic Avenue to get…
anonymous
4:11 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
We're hurting 6 months after Sandy... We're frustrated... We're MAD... We need action, not talk! Come to the protest rally Sat. May 4th, 2-3PM, Joey Harrison's Surf Club, 1900 Ocean Ave., Ortley Beach. more ›