Monday, December 10, 2012
Gas company explains what to do
- PATCH'S HOUSE & HOME
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Monday, December 10, 2012
In a statement released by New Jersey Natural Gas public relations staff, the utility company explains the steps to winterize a home after a natural disaster: NJNG and local officials discussed the need for homeowners to begin planning to winterize their homes prior to the arrival of freezing weather. Local officials are advising that homeowners should contact qualified contractors or plumbers and get their homes on waiting lists, so that when they are able to regain access to their homes, they are ready to go. Preparing your home for the winter involves several steps, and these steps may vary depending on whether you will reside in the home during the winter. The steps are summarized below, but each home may be different: Basic steps to …
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The Governor's office announced Thursday.
An additional $10 million in quick release emergency relief aid being sent to New Jersey will help the state make emergent repairs to roads, bridges, and tunnels, the governor's office announced Thursday morning. Quick release emergency funds are provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration and are used to repair critical infrastructure. The additional $10 million New Jersey's received from the DOT thus far brings its quick release relief fund total to $20 million following Hurricane Sandy. In a release, Gov. Chris Christie said the funds will provide key additional resources to repair infrastructure and prepare the shore for next year's tourism season. With New Jersey tourism estimated at $37 billion …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Township schools collect over 3,000 books for Union Beach school devastated by Superstorm Sandy.
Following a highly successful food and supply drive for victims of Superstorm Sandy at the Jersey Shore and Middlesex County, two South Brunswick moms have teamed up again to aid a school badly damaged in the wake of the storm. Monmouth Junction resident Lisa Rodgers, co-owner of Central Jersey Catering, and LocalChatbox.com owner Suzanne O’Rourke teamed up last month for a collection drive at the Family Karate Super Center on Ridge Road. Over the course of two and a half days, over 150 volunteers of all ages showed up to help collect, categorize, pack and label 900 boxes worth of supplies donated by the South Brunswick community. Following that outpouring of support, Rodgers and O’Rourke dedicated themselves to further efforts to help …
The newly introduced bill would extend benefits and help cover the cost of unemployment for victims of Hurricane Sandy.
U.S. Senator Frank Launtenberg, D-NJ, introduced a bill Tuesday that would extend unemployment benefits to workers who lost their jobs due to Hurricane Sandy, and also help relieve the burden on businesses for disaster-related claims, his office announced. The Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief Act is being co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. The bill is designed to mirror aid provided by Congress to those who lose their jobs following Hurricane Katrina, Lautenberg said in a release. According to a release, the “Superstorm Sandy Unemployment Relief Act” would: “Superstorm Sandy continues to exact a heavy toll on families and businesses in New Jersey and neighboring states. We're seeing …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Volunteers from the Midwest came to Central New Jersey performing various tasks for homeowners affected by the storm free of charge.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Davy James
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
A time of great tragedy can often bring out both the best and worst of human nature. For residents of Central New Jersey living under the dark cloud of destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy last month, a helping hand was extended from the Midwest as a group of good samaritans made their way around the area helping residents deal with extensive storm damage. There was only one catch, the volunteers refused to take any money for their help. "The owner of the company we work for sent us up here and we kind of ended up just doing whatever we could do to help people out," said Ben Doyle, of Muscatine, IA. "We saw everything on TV and we knew it was going to be bad, so we came right up here the day after the storm." The three Iowan volunteers …
Senate Budget Committee hears about impact on school year, tax ratables, budgets.
From the fate of the 180-day rule to the cost of rebuilding schools and their budgets, state education officials faced a host of questions Monday regarding the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the state’s public schools. The immediate impact was obvious, with days lost to a storm that forced more than a week of school closures – and even more in some cases – and displaced thousands of students from their home schools. Eleven schools remain closed to this day, with several unlikely to reopen until next year, officials said. Even at reopened schools, officials are still grappling with how to make up the lost time, not to mention the potential financial losses in damaged buildings and the devastated tax bases that districts rely on for their …
Bill A-3524 was introduced by several Assembly members.
Several members of the State's General Assembly introduced a bill Monday that would increase the penalties for a number of crimes committed during a State of Emergency. Bill A-3524 was introduced after legislators said there were a spate of looting, robbery and unlawful trespassing incidents, among other crimes, that took place during Gov. Chris Christie's declaration of a state of emergency following Hurricane Sandy. Bill A-3524 would see crimes such as robbery committed during a state of emergency upgraded from a second degree crime to first degree. Burglary would become a second degree crime and shoplifting, regardless of the value of the property stolen, would be upgraded to a second degree crime, among other heightened punitive …
Monday, December 3, 2012
Lesniak bill calls for stormproofed substations, widely deployed smart meters, to prevent the outages that followed Sandy.
Its most prominent proponent calls it the "Never Again Campaign", a curious choice of words given that one of the most trusted tenets in Trenton shared by lobbyists and politicians alike is: “Never say 'never.'’’ Nonetheless, the Legislature may soon move a bill that would require the state’s electric utilities to make significant improvements to the power grid in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, according to a veteran lawmaker. The bill's goal is to prevent the type of widespread outages in the wake of the storm, which left more than two million customers without power, some of which (on the state’s barrier islands) have yet to get their lights on. Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) said yesterday he hopes to introduce the bill early next month, …
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Legislators get tour of Shore destruction
Members of New Jersey's General Assembly toured Ocean County communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy Thursday (Nov. 29). The tour, led by State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes, along with local officials, gave lawmakers and members of the press an up-close look at what Sandy left behind – including the remnants of the Seaside Heights boardwalk and the now-iconic Jet Star roller coaster, which dropped from Casino Pier to the ocean during the storm. Casino Pier will be repaired in what is estimated to be a $45 million project, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd said, and the roller coaster will be removed from the ocean floor. However it is unlikely that Funtown Pier in neighborhing Seaside Park will be rebuilt. Though there…
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
South Brunswick continues recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
- LOCAL CONNECTIONS
- Davy James
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented devastation to South Brunswick, which caused over 400 residents to register for aid from FEMA to date. The storm caused nearly 400 downed trees and power lines, in addition to knocking out power for the entire township, with some left in the dark for almost two weeks. FEMA is unable to duplicate assistance from an insurance company or other government sources, but they might be able to cover some uninsured losses, police said. After registering with FEMA, residents will receive a letter concerning the status of their application. Even if the letter states that a person is ineligible, the reason might be that residents have not provided all the required information or documentation FEMA needs, …
Chris
12:48 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012
Utilities don't want to hire enough workers to take care of outage issues rapidly. Getting rid of more workers through smart meters will NOT fix that problem. More importantly, WIRELESS SMART METERS ARE DANGEROUS AND THERE ARE MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. If the Congressman wants to require smart meters then they should have to be NONE RF EMITTING meters such as a fiber optic system… more ›