The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $15 million in federal Public Assistance grants for shore communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy in a latest round of funding, according to a release from Gov. Chris Christie's office. The aid will be used to reimburse municipalities and counties for costs incurred in the aftermath of the late-October storm, whether that be for rescue efforts, cleanup, or reconstruction. The more than $15 million in grant funding has been awarded to Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach, Monmouth County, Middlesex County, and Woodbridge Township…

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 …

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 …

The Woodbridge Flood Zone group, which has caused a stir with a march and presence at last week's council meeting, will be holding a meeting tonight at the First Presbyterian Church in Woodbridge. Mayor John McCormac and members of the town council are slated to attend. The meeting will begin with a planning session at 7:30 pm, followed by the regular meeting at 8 pm. The community group is comprised of township residents affected by Hurricane Sandy and other flooding events, and who are ready to do work towards real change. Township residents who have experienced flooding issues are welcome …

Residents of Woodbridge's flood-prone areas were polite, but the patience was becoming threadbare. That was the sentiment at Tuesday's council meeting from the dozens of homeowners who marched down Main Street to Town Hall to keep the pressure on after years of having their flood-battered homes ignored. Most are members of the ad hoc Woodbridge Flood Zone - a group begun by Monique Coleman, who expanded their efforts into a meeting and a frequently updated website - own some of the more than 600 homes in the township that experienced moderate or severe devastation from Hurricane Sandy. The …

Gov. Chris Christie wants to spend $250 million of federal money to buy out homes that are subject to perpetual flooding. But he doesn't want to do the buy outs in shore communities. The governor said he wants to direct that money to buy flood-prone homes in Middlesex County, according to a report on northjersey.com. The county has flooding issues with communites located along the Raritan River, Raritan Bay, and the Arthur Kill. Perth Amboy, Old Bridge, and Sayreville were all hard hit by Hurricane Sandy. But Woodbridge's flood problem has been historically ignored, even though 606 homes …

Tired of being ignored, the Woodbridge Flood Zone group marched to Town Hall and to a council meeting Tuesday night, and the entire thing went off without a hitch. The group met at the Reo Diner to coordinate and strategize before the council meeting. From there, they walked around the corner to Main Street, and holding up signs and chanting, "We are your neighbors" and "We won't be forgotten", they made their way to the municipal building at the other end of the street. About 40 protesters joined in the march. There were no incidents during the peaceful protests. Vincenzo, part of the group…

Homeowners who live in the flood-prone areas of Woodbridge aren't taking what they believe to be neglect from elected officials lying down. About sixty showed up at a meeting at the First Presbyterian Church last week to talk about their homes, devastated by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy. They're forming action committes around issues that contribute to the flooding, they want flood mitigation, both short and long term, and they're creating Facebook pages to add to Woodbridge Flood Zone, the new website leader Monique Coleman created. And they aren't just talking about it. They're …

With winter weather still moving through the region, NJ Transit has extended full systemwide cross-honoring through the end of the service day Friday, March 8, enabling NJ Transit customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, bus or light rail, as well as private carrier buses.  NJ Transit continues to monitor the storm and take steps to minimize delays and ensure service reliability and safety.  All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip. High winds reported …

In January, Monique Coleman went to a Woodbridge council meeting to ask for help with continual flooding issues in her Heidelberg Avenue neighborhood that reached a crescendo after Hurricane Sandy. Not much came from asking for tax relief, home buyouts, and the creation of a flood advisory board, nor from presenting a petition to the council, and few township residents learned anything new after a FEMA meeting in January, four months after the hurricane. Coleman took matters into her own hands and started a website, Life in the Woodbridge Flood Zone (otherwise known as woodbridgefloodzone.com…

Maybe it's becaue it's been so long since Hurricane Sandy, or maybe it was just the frustration of dealing with monolithic federal bureaucracies. Woodbridge homeowners who have been suffering since last October's gigantic hurricane had little good to say about a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) meeting held on Monday. It was the first public meeting held for township residents to deal with the effects of Hurricane Sandy since it devastated parts of Woodbridge four months ago. "[It was a] total waste of time. Nothing was presented that I didn't find out on my own 3 months ago," …

New Jersey’s recovery following Hurricane Sandy will come, officials and legislators at Tuesday’s budget introduction at the Statehouse in Trenton said, just don’t expect the state to pay for it. In Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed $32.9 billion budget, only about $40 million has been set aside for Sandy-related recovery, all of it coming in the form of supplemental aid. Its intended use will only be as a stopgap during the process of the state’s securing aid for various recovery efforts. The negligible sum will have little impact on the state’s budget, according to New Jersey Treasurer Andrew …

Four months after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of Woodbridge, people who are still struggling to get help with their hurricane-damaged homes didn't find much new at a meeting to discuss the storm damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held a meeting last Thursday at Woodbridge High School that was well attended. Victims of the hurricane, though, said they found little new from the panel of experts who sympathized with their plight, but couldn't make the federal bureaucracy move any faster than it has. Mayor John McCormac was also at the meeting, the first public gathering …

Woodbridge residents who were hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy have been wondering why there haven't been any open public meetings to address the problems with which they are still contending. Their prayers are finally being answered. There will be a meeting this Thursday, February 21, at Woodbridge High School from 7 pm to 9 pm. Representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) are expected. But probably one of the most urgently questioned organizations will the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). That's because the flood …

When David Scott Ruddy was arrested in Woodbridge for allegedly flimflamming Hurricane Sandy victims out of $50,000 in FEMA funds, there was one person who not only knew who he was, but had been calling and warning officials about him for months. That was Kathleen Marchitto, who met Ruddy first at a shelter put up at an Old Bridge school, and then later when she and other hurricane victims were moved to the Red Cross shelter set up at Livingston College of Rutgers University in Piscataway. Marchitto, whose South River apartment was flooded during the October hurricane, was at the Livingston …

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…

The Community Foundation of New Jersey recently announced a funding resource aimed at supporting the needs of the state’s communities and non-profit organizations leading in recovery following Hurricane Sandy. Called the New Jersey Recovery Fund, the foundation and its more than $5 million in pledged support from national and regional organizations recently revealed the fund’s application guidelines and its focus on aiding forward-thinking groups and communities throughout the state. The fund focuses on five areas, according to NJ News Commons, a Montclair State University communication …

In just three months since Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $1.1 billion in disaster loans to residents and business owners affected by the storm. According to a release from the SBA, approximately 16,700 individuals have received loans, making Sandy the country's third largest disaster in terms of loaned dollars. Currently, Sandy sits behind 2005's Hurricane Katrina and its $10.8 billion in SBA loans, and 1994's Northridge, Calif., earthquake, which totaled $4 billion in loans. Sandy, however, could supplant those disaster …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the US Small Business Association (SBA) have extended the deadline for victims of Hurricane Sandy to apply for aid. It is now March 1.   The deadline was extended one month at the request of FEMA and the state of New Jersey, said spokesman Mark Jamison of the SBA's Office of Disaster Assistance. "We encourage people to apply," said Jamison, whose agency is offering signature-only loans under $14,000 to homeowners and renters. "SBA loans are not based on a person's current financial situation," he said. For amounts above that threshold, he …

Want to help Hurricane Sandy victims? The Woodbridge High School Hurricane Sandy Outreach Project is holding a spaghetti fundraiser on Saturday, January 26. The dinner is being held from 4 pm to 8 pm at the high school cafeteria. In addition to dinner, tricky tray raffles are being offered. The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and children.  Many local Woodbridge residents in areas of the township have suffered from the storm, so this fundraiser is for a good cause that is highly local as well. For more information, call 732-602-8600 or email jsoto@woodbridge.k12.nj.us. Follow…