Very well written!

Congress must amend the Biggert-Waters Act so that FEMA doesn't destroy the Shore with its erroneous maps, over-kill house-raising elevations and exorbitant annual insurance costs. FEMA has caused more damage than Sandy did.

Join the fight. MEETING Sat. Mar. 9th, 3-4 PM, Silverton First Aid Squad, 86 Maine (like the state) St., Toms River.

www.facebook.com/StopFemaNow www.StopFemaNow.com Twitter #StopFemaNow

Most of the problems that exist since the storm blew through are being caused by a local government that is so unknowledgeable and so in denial about its own shortcomings that it's embarrassing to watch and listen to.

Mo, The first sentence in the second paragraph of this rambling says "The primary job initially was debris removal..." This was used in context of after the storm.

I've got news for you. The primary job was protection. The council failed that job miserably and continues to do so.

In your next letter maybe you can address the financial mess the town has been in for an extended period of time and how this freak storm has exposed it.

Free Ortley Beach

Mr. Mo Hill please write a story about how we Ortley Beach
Are in such bad shape compared to our surrounding towns
Maybe it will help because god knows we need it

Tell us what we don't know... Like what will happen if we don't have the $$ to raise our homes & worse if we do raise our homes how will we pay for the unsustainable flood insurance premiums. I might be wrong but it's my understanding that flood insurance for homes in compliance will still be in the thousands of $$ per year

Very empty words by one of the eight empty suits that call themselves "elected officials" What a very very sad joke!

Nobody cares what you have to say Mo. You, and your hacks, lost me the second I found out George Gilmore was hired as a lobbyist by Ash Britt. Go pound sand.

This makes it all sound so rosey and that we are moving ahead. I have said this a zillion times......
THERE IS NO MONEY TO REBUID WITH!!!!!!!!
Until insurance companies pay more than a fraction of what the home is worth, if you even had insurance and FEMA lnows what they are doing, the homes sit getting worse and worse......

I see, as usual, that the same people continue to criticize local government as if they don't want Toms River/Ortley Beach to recover, they live here for crying out loud! The Primary is coming up folks, why don't you put your time and energy where your mouth currently is and toss your name in the ring? I would bet that come Primary time you will still just be blogging negativity. Hey who could blame you it's a much easier road then dealing with people like you as an elected official. You don't want steady progress based on what can and can not be confirmed by FEMA, you want a Miracle. Keep or start praying and maybe you will get one.

Most of the damage to Ortley Beach was the lack of Proper maintenance of the Dunes by toms River after the last 2 storms in mid 2011 that washed our beach away and left us unprotected for any major storm.
If they would've done the right thing by pumping ocean sand rather than inland sand we wouldn't have this problem.
And as a tax payer to Toms River the 1.6 mil you gave to the Asphalt company from Long Island to build our dunes is not only a bad choice but a waste of our tax dollars..those dunes that they started are half gone already from the last nor eastern snow storm.
Thanks Toms River for looking after us.

No need to be rude but john is right the local government does not know what to do,this is a huge problem. Try to call town hall to ask questions or find out information about anything.....they do indeed have their heads in the sand.

TR never put the tax money they got from the island back into protecting their cash cow.The mainland had low taxes which the island subsidized. There is no better argument to be made to free Ortley and TR's other island communities to stand alone or join with other island communities whose interests align better with ours. We would fight to protect ourselves.

Why did ortley not flatten the beach each season? We do this at our beach, and we had very little damage, at least from the ocean, the bay is a different story. Do we know why all the sink holes happened in ortley? Bulk heads seem to have failed more in ortley than other regions. Maybe it was just bad luck, I have no idea?

I do agree with the Orley assesment, but also drive around the mainland areas. Like Silverton and Green Island. It still looks like a war zone. He mentioned several years to elevate thousands of homes. How about not a few, more like many many years. Do you really think thousands of homes in TR will be elevated for the cost of 50-100k a pop? On my brothers street alone there are 72 homes on the lagoon or near. As of last week the majority have started to put back there homes pretty much the was that particular home was pre-Sandy. He knows of one family that has contracted someone to raise their home, only because they have money to do so right now. This is one block in one area of the mainland that was effected. The sorry part of this is some of those homes are not on the water just across the street and now are in the "V" zone.

For crying out loud! I live off Fisher blvd up in East Dover section. NOT on the water at all, in a small older ranch over 60 years old. Guess frekin what? I got flooded and am now rewarded in the Velocity zone. If you thnk I am going to raise this old fart of a home , my family had a nice bridge for you to buy.........:(

Miner, hopefully you don't have a mortgage, who needs flood insurance. I didn't have flood insurance, I am not raising my home, I will continue to not have flood insurance. Get your home back into shape and enjoy it.

Local4Life, I agree about taking pre-emptive actions, but remember that Ortley couldn't do anything! TR is the entity collecting the taxes with the responsibility to act.

Walter, my small beach is also linked to the tax man, toms river. We do this every year and so do the other small communities around mine. It's our community dues that pay for it, I guess that's where the disconnect is. Beach badge fees could pay for ortley to flatten every year? Don't expect tr to help, or let you off the hook, I'm sure lavallette doesn't want your community or mine. Oh lavallette, you geniuses, you stayed independent, can we join, we promise to be good. Pretty please...

I suggest everyone out there to check out the following website if you have'nt
already - www.floodsmart.gov. With regard to flood insurance. there are cost-saving
options that the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) put in into effect in 2003.
In addition, check out the Flood Map Update Schedule, you'll find that the preliminary FEMA flood map date is not until 8/30/2013 and the Projected Effective Date is not until 9/03/2014!! This means the maps have not been finalized yet, which means there is still time to fight with engineers subcontracted by FEMA with regard
to elevation maps. They have'nt yet put into effect the benchmarks needed to determine flood elevations. Join together with the help of your councilman to
fight while there is stil time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
elevation heights

Mo; have you visited OB lately......do that first and then write a more factual letter. Between TR and FEMA etc, we rented a house for this upcoming summer in South Jersey rather than being in our damaged OB home. Way to go with the rebuilding....

Local4life, I think it's past just the Lavallette question. We tried that over 20 years ago. We should start dialogue between ALL the Island communities. All our interests align!

Has anyone been to a TR Council meeting recently? The Town Council is blatantly rude and discourteous to Ortley Beach taxpayers that have the audacity to ask legitimate questions.during the comment portion of the meetings. We went from being called "victims" to being called "a nuisance". The biggest violator is the so called Council President George Wittman. A real "clown" !

Taxpayers from Ortley should start attending these meeting in mass! Next meeting Tuesday 3/12/13 6 PM Town Hall!

We need explore options to the deannexation of Ortley Beach ( and the other TR Shore areas) from this incompetent Govt.!

http://tomsriver.pegcentral.com/

Bay Beach Way Suceeded from Toms River in 2010!

RESOLUTION OF THE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TOMS RIVER
CONDITIONALLY CONSENTING TO THE DEANNEXATION OF BAY BEACH BAY
FROM THE TOWNSHIP OF TOMS RIVER AND REANNEXATION TO THE BOROUGH
OF LAVALLETTE PURSUANT TO N.J.S.A. 40A:7-12, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JULY
15, 2008, FINAL JUDGMENT RENDERED BY THE SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
AND AFFIRMED ON APPEAL, AND APPOINTING THREE INDIVIDUALS TO THE SIXMEMBER COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED BY N.J.S.A. 40A:7-18 TO ASCERTAIN BAY
BEACH WAY’S PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TOMS RIVER’S
BONDED AND OTHER INDEBTEDNESS
JANUARY 12, 2010
WHEREAS, in October 2006, the Bay Beach Way Realignment Committee (“Committee”),
comprised of residents who own lots on Bay Beach Way, a nine-acre private road located between
Route 35 and the Barnegat Bay in the Ocean Beach section of the Township of Toms River
(“Township”), filed a petition with the Planning Board pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:7-12 seeking the
deannexation of Bay Beach Way from the Township and annexation to the adjacent Borough of
Lavallette; and

Some of the houses are so messed up from the storm it's funny. My house wasn't really affected but since I'm in the flood area I was able to dupe my insurance into giving me almost 10 grand plus got FEMA money. Now I drive my new SUV around and scrap what I can from all these ugly flooded out homes. Life is good. Sandy made me some moolah.

Toms River gave us an extension on land taxes till Dec. 31st. we paid and recieved a statement for $20.96 late fees.We are in a V zone so they want our houses to be raised,my neighbor is having his home dozed. along with others in our section.If I put my home on stilts the next surge will travel further inland SO when will it end????

What about all of the hotels, restaurants, fire dept, post office, all of the stores through Lavallette, Ortly and Toms River? Do they have to mitigate to be in compliance with the new FEMA rules? How can they elevate and especially if in a V Zone??
Places like Lenny's Pizza, and the Crabs Claw, WaWa and all of the other places that struggle.

We live a block away from a tidal creek, off of a lagoon, off of Mosquito Cove, which is off of Barnegat Bay. There are many, many man made and natural obstacles keeping breaking waves from ever reaching our home, yet we are in a "V" zone. I understand that R has not adopted the FEMA maps yet. How can I help my cause to get moved back to an "A" zone? Please help.

Sorry, that should read "I understand "TR" has not adopted the FEMA maps yet."

Michael Capo....make it easy and post his e-mail address here (if you have it)so everyone can write him

You know why not join Seaside because that is our zip, may-be they will take us. The kids would still go to TR high school. Anything but TR

Sure...Lets get as many people as possible to write him. Not just Ortley residents.
Get in Touch

AsmGusciora@njleg.org

I would post the EMAIL I sent him here but it is too long. If anyone is interested in seeing what I wrote (perhaps as a start for your own letter), EMAIL me at MACAPOSR@AOL.COM and I will gladly forward you a copy.

People are fed up with this kind of post. No Mo.

I live in Toms River and was very lucky during the storm. It infuriates me how the people of Ortley Beach have been treated these last 4 months. How can anyone look at the devastation and not be bothered by it. It seems the township of Toms River has been too busy making sure they get us a good rate for bulk electricity....who asked them to? They now tell us the "Food Fest" will go on, but what about Ortley Beach? It seems they are only worried about businesses and the "tourism" trade and no one cares about the residents. It makes me sick!

For Ortley people, see ortleybeach.org. People are already working on possibilities for island communities. Join the dialogue.

Walter, ortleybeach.org is the web site for the the Ortley Beach property owners association and in my opinion the board members of that organization drink the Toms River & Maria Maruca Kool Aide. Do you know something I don't?

We need Ortley Beach to be free of Toms River. They have done so little since Sandy and now the threat of the Town to abide by FEMA and their new map that will cause all Seniors to walk away from their permanent homes and vacation homes they worked for because they cannot afford to lift their houses and pay high future flood insurance and another raise in taxes.. Sounds like a Master Plan to take all their land from them and self serve themselves. We pay big taxes for less service than the mainland and are being treated like second hand citizens! We have to get out of under Toms River hands and be like outr Neighbor Lavalette. Wake up people.