$1.83 Billion Allocated to Rebuilding NJ Communities

Highlands Council president hopes funding will get residents back in homes and businesses open

New Jersey’s disaster recovery plan calls for $1.83 billion to support a variety of housing, infrastructure and business programs, Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Monday, six months after Hurricane Sandy devasted areas of the state's coast. Before a crowd of more than 50 at Moby’s restaurant in Highlands, Donovan announced HUD’s approval of the disaster recovery plan to help homeowners and businesses following Hurricane Sandy. The $1.83 billion will be funded through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. “Today we take another important step toward recovery and healing for hard-hit communities in New Jersey,” said Donovan, who chairs President Barack Obama…

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Hurricane Sandy

Gov. Christie in Sea Bright: Home Buyouts in Flooded Areas Not Off Table

The governor says he hopes residents will be the ones to make the final call.

State-funded buyouts of homes in flood-prone neighborhoods ravaged by Hurricane Sandy is a possibility, Gov. Christie said at a press conference in Sea Bright this week. However, when it comes to a final decision, it’s one he hopes residents will make. Christie was joined Thursday afternoon by U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan to discuss the allocation of $1.8 billion that will be used to fund Community Development Block grants, or CDBGs. Though that money will be focused on rebuilding homes and small businesses, future HUD allocations could be used for residential buyouts. It’s not something he’d like to see, Christie said, but if a community finds that it’s the best option for its future, it will have to be …

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