Howell to buy out homeowners in flood-prone Moors Landing

HOWELL — Several homes in the Moors Landing development that were badly damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and superstorm Sandy in 2012 are being purchased by Howell. The homes will be demolished, and the property on which they stood will remain as open space.
Read The Full Article Here Tri-Town News

One Year After The Storm

Many victims of Superstorm Sandy have still not recovered financially — and for some, the damage will be permanent.

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NJ Seeks To Shift Federal Sandy Funds, "Public Comment" Closes Tomorrow

 

A little late on posting  this but public comment ends tomorrow so it's important to get this out there.

N.J. seeks to shift federal Sandy funds. The Department of Community affairs seeks to transfer160 million in federal money from funds designated for grants and forgivable loans to small businesses.

View the amendment here.

Highlights:
The program would add $110 million to the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, and Mitigation (RREM) Program to allow between 800 to 1,100 Sandy-impacted families currently on the waitlist to receive a RREM grant. This grant provides up to $150,000 to help homeowners impacted by Sandy repair or rebuild their home. The program, which closed its application period on August 1, 2013, has previously reserved funding for approximately 4,300 homeowners, but more than 8,700 households remain on the program’s waitlist.

The reallocation would also add $35 million to the Homeowner Resettlement Program to provide each of the more than 2,100 Sandy-impacted families on the program’s waitlist with a $10,000 grant to incentivize them to stay in their home community rather than relocating. With this funding reallocation, every eligible applicant who applied to the program before the August 1 deadline will now receive a Resettlement award.
The change would also set aside $15 million to support the demolition of unsafe Sandy-damaged structures in order to alleviate blight and address threats to public health and welfare.

The Action Plan substantial amendment can be viewed in English and Spanish at http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/sandyrecovery/action/ on the DCA website.

Written comments on the amendment will be accepted by email to sandy.recovery@dca.state.nj.us   until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20, 2013.

 

 

Congresswoman vows big changes to flood insurance.

Watch this video
Congresswoman Waters vows big changes
to flood insurance!
 

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Waters blames FEMA for not doing the job the Biggert-Waters Act intended them to do, failing when it comes to flood maps and an affordability study.
The Congresswoman's new legislation " The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act would delay flood insurance rate increases for 4 years and send FEMA back to the drawing board.

Senator Cory Booker and Senator Menendez grilling HUD Secretary Donovan and FEMA's Fugate at congressional hearing on Hurricane Sandy Recovery.