Sea Bright Sandy Victim Charged with Defrauding FEMA

The man allegedly accepted transitional housing for a couple of months when his apartment was cleared for occupancy

A Hurricane Sandy victim from Sea Bright now faces up to five years in prison after being arrested and charged Wednesday with defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of more than $12,000 in Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) grant money, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced. William Nagle, 51, who rented an apartment at 4 Center St., Sea Bright, allegedly bilked FEMA’s Transitional Shelter Assistance program of $12,114.25 in the form of 68 nights worth of lodging at various hotels between Jan. 14 and March 23, 2013. Before Nagle allegedly accepted the assistance and started living in the temporary housing, his apartment had already been cleared to reside in by Sea Bright zoning …

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R-FH Administrators, Police Prep for Emergencies with FEMA Course

Officials create airtight Emergency Operation Plan

Well before Hurricane Sandy struck the shore area with unprecedented force,  administrators at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (R-FH) were determined to take their emergency preparedness to the highest possible level. They took a major step towards that goal by recently taking advantage of a golden opportunity provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). R-FH is one of a handful of New Jersey schools to send a team of professionals to FEMA's Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools, an intensive four-day course held in the National Emergency Training Center in Emmittsville, Maryland. The R-FH Board of Education backed the school's decision to send six administrators and four first responders to the session held …

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Hurricane Sandy

Menendez Pushing for Halt To Flood Insurance Rate Hikes

'Triple whammy' for Shore residents, Menendez says on U.S. Senate floor

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez threw Shore residents a virtual lifeline Thursday, delivering an address on the Senate floor where he urged colleagues to support an amendment to federal legislation that would stop flood insurance rate hikes, at least in the short term. Menendez (D-NJ) spoke in favor of an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act which would stop flood insurance premiums from rising until FEMA completes its study on the affordability of premiums of the National Flood Insurance Program. Shore homeowners face annual flood insurance premiums of up to $31,000 a year if they do not raise their homes at a significant cost. Many homeowners who were never previously located in flood zones now find themselves being listed as …

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Hurricane Sandy

Stop FEMA Now's Growing Influence

The grassroots organization has its sights set on national attention

From its humble beginnings — a few concerned residents sitting around a table in a small sub shop — Stop FEMA Now, the grassroots organization opposed to the federal agency’s flood maps, has grown and continues to attract crowds at meetings throughout the state. Now it’s time for the second phase. Prior to a meeting in Atlantic City to discuss flood maps with residents of yet another county, Stop FEMA Now founder George Kasimos said the causes continues to grow. More and more residents continue to discover that their homes are now listed in FEMA’s flood zones, he said, and now they’re looking for answers. And ultimately, they’re looking for a way to fight back. The group’s Facebook page has grown from just a few hundred likes to more than …

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Sandy Victims: Two Weeks Left to Register with FEMA, SBA

The deadlines for FEMA assistance and SBA loans are both May 1.

There are two weeks left for survivors of Superstorm Sandy who suffered damage to their homes to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline is midnight, May 1, according to FEMA officials. This is also the deadline for residents to return applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans. Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585, and those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. Those platforms are also available to check the status of any applications. Residents can apply for low-interest home or business disaster …

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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, …

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Sea Bright, Rumson and Fair Haven: Flood Maps Could Change for Mainland

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 (FEMA) risk analyst said Friday, noting that they still remain subject to change prior to their official adoption into the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 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 …

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Hurricane Sandy

Days After Predicting Changes, Christie Administration Supports FEMA Standards

The action comes nearly a week after the governor predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.

The Christie administration has taken another step toward supporting new statewide elevation standards based on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps. On Monday, the administration filed with the Office of Administrative Law an adoption package supporting the standards. The action comes nearly a week after Christie predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.   Those maps place a large amount of properties in flood zones, and require many structures to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates spike. 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…

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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 …

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