Residents of much of the barrier island were given permission to come back home for good Monday morning following re-population approval from Gov. Chris Christie's office late last week.
The North Beach area of Toms River, all of Brick Township and single-family homes in Seaside Heights were included in the plans to re-populate on Monday.
Toms River officials said Ortley Beach is not cmpletely ready for people to move back in. Mayor Tom Kelaher said utilities are simply not available.
Elsewhere, however, what, exactly, people were returning home to following Hurricane Sandy depends on where you go and whom you ask.
Ron Carlucci counts himself among some of the lucky ones. The Lavallette resident said his home received minimal damage in the storm, unlike several of his neighbors who are still in the process of gutting their homes for their own eventual returns.
Though his garage was significantly damaged and his prized '66 Thunderbird wrecked by flood waters, Carlucci said he and his wife were able to move back into a home that's much the same as they left it more than two months ago.
"I cried when I saw my car," he said. "But were we lucky? Hell yeah."
In many instances, restoration and rebuilding is still taking place, limiting the number of residents who will actually be able to move back into their homes.
In Seaside Park, police are still denying access to anyone who isn't a homeowner or a contractor. Ortley Beach, one of the hardest hit areas on the barrier island hasn't been given the go ahead for re-population just yet.
Bill Petruzel, owner of Barnacle Bill's amusements in Ortley Beach, said he's still waiting to hear from the town about when he can move back into his upstairs apartment. He's heard a week, but it could be more.
In some cases, residents have been given the all clear to move back in to their homes, but significant reconstruction efforts have stalled reentry.
Stephen Bache came back to New Jersey from California to help clear out his 86-year-old mother's Lavallette home. She'd been living alone for the past seven years, he said, and he's not sure if she'll ever be able to come back.
Much of the first floor of her home needs to be torn out, and he's not sure what will happen with the property when the family makes a final assessment.
You can exagerate all you want. I do appraisals on the side and I've seen first hand how that $40K bungaloo (not appraised for 20 years) should be at $400K and the owners wants to sell it for $425K. Can't have your cake and eat it too. It's about time the barrier island paid it's fair share.
i call BS on that...........just because you may be able to get $400,000 , which i dont believe you can, especially AFTER Sandy, that does NOT mean the ASSESSED value should be at 100% !!!!!!.....if that is the case , how come a house that is sold for $200,000 or bought at foreclosure at $100,000 does not get re-assesed at those prices.....this also doesnt begin to go into the fact, that MOST of the houses are only used for 3 months a year and/or why if it costs the town $200 per house to pick up garbage during the year, why a million dollar house pays $900 for garbage (thru property tax bill) and a small ranch on the main land pays $90 FOR A FIXED PRICE SERVICE
ABFE:A 1% EL 8 0.2% EL12 A couple people here seemed to understand it (I've tried to go through the FEMA tutorial but it just puts me into a rage....why can't they make it simple to understand?)
The 1% El 8 number means that in a 100-year storm the expected water height is 8 feet above sea level. The .2% El 12 means that in a 500-year flood the water height is expected to reach 12 feet above sea level. Eventually your flood insurance will reflect the true hazard for your home. A “V“zone is the highest hazard, higher than a “coastal A,” which is higher than regular “A” The higher you are elevated the less the hazard. I have been told that for each foot above the base flood elevation (BFE) you get a 20% reduction in premium for flood insurance.
The advantage of the Township adopting the elevations now is that more money will be available to finance elevations now. In a few years when the new elevations become mandatory there may not be much money to help people elevate. Then beginning soon after they are mandatory, flood insurance will go up 20% each year until the premium matches the true risk of insurance. I was not flooded and I am not in a flood zone but a member of my family is. I was told that the house is in an A zone. Assuming maximum coverage, the existing house would be four feet below the new BFE. My uncles insurance would be $9,500 a year. If we elevated to BFE plus three the premium would be less than $600 per year. We are waiting to see the cost of elevating.
TheTR Fire District Collects Over 1 million Dollars In Property Taxes From TR Barrier Island HomeOwners. They Then Contract Out (PAY) TheSeaside Hts Fire Dept. About 100K To Provide Fire Protection! Where Does The Other 900K Go?
Boom!
2.agree 3.agree