Friday, August 24, 2012
Approximately one year ago, New Brunswick was battering down the hatches against Hurricane Irene, which left a lot of flooding in our area.
The weather for the weekend is predicted to be mostly clear, with only a little rain predicted, but at this time last year, New Brunswick, along with most of New Jersey, was gathering supplies and wondering what Hurricane Irene would bring. The city made it through mostly all right, but for a few days, New Brunswick was under some heavy flooding near the riverbank. Several pilings at New Brunswick Landing were completely ripped away, and the Raritan River rose to cover parts of Route 18 and filled the Hiram Square and Hope Manor neighborhoods. Check out some photos from last year of the immediate damage brought by the flooding and storm winds. Did Irene cause any lasting damage to your neighborhood? Are you reminded of the hurricane this …
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The shore received a lashing, but North Jersey took the brunt
Hurricane Irene would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey in more than a century, had it actually been packing hurricane-strength winds at the time. But by the time Irene rolled ashore at Little Egg Inlet in southern Ocean County, its wind speed had already decreased to 69 m.p.h. – a full 5 m.p.h. short of hurricane strength – meaning it was actually just a tropical storm. The new findings were released Dec. 14 by the National Hurricane Center, the latest of equivalent post-mortems the agency has posted on every other storm of the 2011 hurricane season. Every year, the hurricane center releases "tropical cyclone reports" on each named storm after hurricane season ends Nov. 30. The report said a storm surge of 3 to …
Monday, November 28, 2011
Deadline for filing proof of loss claims extended to Jan. 23, 2012
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a 60-day extension for the proof of loss deadline for flood victims of Hurricane Irene from Nov. 23, 2011 to Jan. 23, 2012 under the National Flood Insurance Program. The extension goes into effect for flood policyholders in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia with dates of loss between Aug. 26 and Sept. 4. FEMA can be contacted toll-free at 800-462-7585. Lines are open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Middlesex County is one of 10 counties in New Jersey that could become eligible for federal aid.
Damages from the Oct. 29 snowstorm will be assessed in 10 New Jersey counties, including Middlesex, by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency starting on Monday, the governor’s office has announced. The conditions of the storm led Gov. Chris Christie to declare a state of emergency for the entire state on the day of the storm. Joint preliminary damage assessments will be conducted in Bergen, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Sussex, and Warren Counties. The assessment process is used to determine the impact and magnitude of damage caused by a disaster. It summarizes needs of residents, businesses, and the community as a whole. The joint assessment involves …
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Deadline extended to Nov. 30.
- GOVERNMENT
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Saturday, October 22, 2011
At the request of the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is extending the registration deadline for renters, homeowners and business owners who suffered damage from Hurricane Irene. Those affected by the storm and flooding now have until Nov. 30 to register for disaster assistance. “We've extended the registration deadline for people who–for whatever reason–have not had the opportunity to register for assistance,” said William L. Vogel, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. “The goal is to ensure all eligible Irene survivors have the chance to seek assistance.” There are three ways to register: go to www.disasterassistance.gov, m.fema.gov or call FEMA toll-free, 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Those with access or functional needs …
Saturday, September 3, 2011
There have been nearly 50 reports of price gouging since state of emergency declared.
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is warning residents to beware of shady businesses and vendors showing up in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Neal Buccino, a spokesman with the division, said there already have been 46 reports of price gouging since the storm—on items including bottled water, gasoline and hotel rooms. He said there's been no reports of home repair or charity scams yet. Buccino said his division has investigated 23 of the cases and none had broken the law, but the investigation is continuing, "While they have found some high prices … the cases we've fully investigated have turned out not to be violations." New Jersey law forbids merchants from raising prices by more than 10 percent during a state of emergency and 30…
Friday, September 2, 2011
Along with Union and Hunterdon counties, Middlesex County isn't a disaster area, according to the White House's named designation - and that could mean that area residents miss out on grants and low interest loans for hurricane relief.
President Obama may have declared New Jersey a disaster area because of Hurricane Irene, but that isn't going to be much comfort to Middlesex County homeowners whose residences experienced damage in the storm. That's because neither Middlesex or Union counties are included in the list of afflicted counties in which property owners and businesses can apply for and get grants and low interest loans to repair the destruction wrought by the hurricane. Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset counties have been designated as disaster areas. Rep. Leonard Lance (NJ-7) made a special appeal to the White House to add Middlesex and Union counties, as well as Hunterdon County - areas all within Lance's 7th congressional district - to the list of …
Lance Berens, director of Lawrence Township-based Environmental Forensics, talks about the health risks mold can pose to your family and what steps you can take to prevent mold growth in your home.
Despite no longer being an active threat, Hurricane Irene's damage remains in flood waters and the resulting water damage in the basements and homes of many people throughout the state. Of great concern to many now – even those who had just a few inches of flood water invade their properties – is mold Mold can threaten not only your home or business but your health. And the best breeding grounds for mold – moist, damp conditions – are all over the township right now. Experts say mold needs just moisture and nutrients to grow and multiply. With Hurricane Irene’s flood waters receding, water-soaked building materials and household items are excellent sources for these two things. Lance Berens, director of Lawrence Township-based …
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Now that life is returning to normal, the repairs begin.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, September 1, 2011
New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Tom Considine Wednesday offered tips to consumers on filing insurance claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Following the Disaster Reporting Your Claim Handling the Claim Repairing the Damage Things to Remember After You Rebuild More Information If you have any questions about the coverage in your policy, or if you need help with a problem regarding your claim following a disaster at your home, contact the Department at 1-800-446-7467 or www.njdobi.org. For emergency preparedness information go to: http://www.ready.nj.gov/. For more information on flood insurance availability through the NFIP, go to: www.floodsmart.gov
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Route 18 will remain open for the time being, no additional major flooding expected at this time.
Route 18 has been reopened following a request from the New Brunswick Mayor's office to stay away from it during morning rush hour Tuesday. "We are encouraged by the falling level of the Raritan River but will monitor it closely during this evening’s high tide. We’re hopeful that we’ve seen the last of the flood related to Irene,” Mayor Jim Cahill said in a prepared release on Tuesday. Middlesex County OEM coordinator John Ferguson said the plan is to keep Route 18 open, as the river did not rise as much as it was expected to Monday night following high tide. Ferguson said the county is still examining areas further up river, such as Bound Brook, where flooding problems still persist. The residents of flooded areas in the vicinity of Route…
sherry
3:50 pm on Saturday, September 3, 2011
how sad that our president missed this horror for friends and families who were devastated by this storm. By daughter's 1 month old baby's room that she shares with her 21/2 yr. old sister, was completely flooded. Besides restoration cleaning costs, the boiler will have to be replaced and other expenses. My prayer is that the FEMA team inspecting Middlesex now will do the right thing. Imagine … more ›