Thursday, May 23, 2013
DEP Commissioner: side scan sonar used to detect sunken debris; Tourism Commissioner: rental market is healthy
Though immense devastation from Superstorm Sandy remains visible up and down the New Jersey coastline, beaches, boardwalks and even rental homes are ready for the annual influx of summer tourists that will begin this weekend, officials said Thursday at the annual "State of the Shore" event in Belmar. The State of the Shore report is presented by state officials and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium every year before Memorial Day weekend kicks off, but this year it evolved to mark the unofficial reopening of the Shore area following Sandy. With emergency repairs to state and local infrastructure damaged by the storm now complete, work has started on the state's long term recovery, said Bob Martin, commissioner of the state Department of …
This will be Obama's first visit to Shore since just after Sandy
President Obama and Gov. Christie will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday, according to The Record in Bergen County. Herb Jackson of the Record and northjersey.com reports President Obama will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday with Gov. Christie. This will be Obama's first visit to the area since Oct. 31, just after the storm struck. More information can be found here.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Home buyouts in areas prone to flooding expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary. Sayreville and South River are both on the list.
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 …
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 …
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 …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The township will receive a $1.1 million reimbursement in federal money for the emergency response efforts and cleanup of Hurricane Sandy.
East Brunswick will be reimbursed $1.1 million from FEMA to make up for money spent during the township's Hurricane Sandy response. According to a joint press release from the offices of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) East Brunswick will receive $1,149,493.59 "for the cost of debris cleanup" as a result of the storm. The East Brunswick grant is part of a total of $9.2 million in Sandy-related funds that is being split between three municipalities and one agency: East Brunswick, Eagleswood Township, Toms River and the New Jersey Department of Military Affairs. East Brunswick has submitted five applications for FEMA reimbursement following Hurricane Sandy, said Lou Neely, Chief Financial Officer for East Brunswick…
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Utility company petitioning state board for consumer rate increase
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Tuesday, April 23
The state Board of Public Utilities is scheduled to hold a pair of hearings in Freehold Township on Wednesday on a proposed rate increase for Jersey Central Power & Light. The first meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Township Municipal Building, at Schanck and Stillwells Corner roads. The second meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the same location. The utility company, roundly criticized for its response during Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter that followed, wants a rate increase of 4.5 percent in its effort to raise $603 million the company says it needs to repair infrastructure damaged in hurricane’s Sandy and Irene. The company faces opposition. “We will speak for the hundreds of ratepayers who are tired of paying more for less …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Environmental New Jersey is calling for efforts to reduce carbon pollution.
On an interactive map of the United States that records the number of extreme weather events that have taken place over the last several years, New Jersey might as well be the black eye. The red, purples and magentas that color each of New Jersey’s 21 counties make up the wrong end of the weather-related disaster spectrum, marking the entire state as a recurring extreme weather target. Should nothing be done to curb pollution and carbon emissions, a recent report from Environment New Jersey Research and Policy Center details, expect that trend to continue. Just off of the beach in Long Branch Tuesday, with temperatures coincidentally hovering around an unseasonable 80 degrees, several officials gathered to discuss the new report, called “…
Superstorm reveals vulnerabilities in drinking water facilities, sewer treatment plants.
Hurricane Sandy damaged more than 100 facilities supplying drinking water to residents and sewage treatment plants, leaving the state with an unexpected $2.6 billion bill to repair, rebuild, and make the systems more resilient, according to state officials. How the state goes about meeting that challenge remains to be seen, although the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is hoping to leverage federal funds approved by Congress in the wake of Sandy to help address those problems. Making those systems more resilient to future storms is among the agency’s top priorities, one the department is expected to wrestle with over the next few months, but with few clear answers emerging just yet. “Our challenges are staggering,’’ …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Health commissioner's roundtables gets first responders, local and state officials talking.
Add deadly carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly vented generators and toxic mold to the many health hazards visited on the state by Hurricane Sandy. That helps explain why healthcare providers from New Jersey's first responders to the state’s top health official are looking to identify and apply lessons learned to head off similar crises during the next bout of extreme weather. Sandy will have a lasting effect on how the state prepares for the future, Health Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd said yesterday after completing a round of forums with healthcare officials and emergency responders. One major change: The state will take steps in future disasters to make sure that residents are informed on how to operate electric generators before a…
PPNB
7:20 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
Our properties include towns from Belmar to Seaside. North of Bay head 100% ready and booked. Bay head and south 50% ready and 70% of available time booked. That makes us 75% ready but only 67.5% booked. A red line summer seems most likely. Even with plans for another 20% ready by the 4th of July the time remains open. We do not take money from people without our guarantee of availability. So, … more ›