Hurricane Sandy

LBI OPENED: Photo Gallery: Ship Bottom to South Beach Haven

Clean-up and restoration with a dose of humor all go hand in hand as Long Beach Island recovers from Sandy.

  Long Beach Island residents - except those from Holgate - returned to their homes Saturday morning, beginning at 6 a.m. During a Friday afternoon news conference in Seaside Heights on Friday, Governor Christie announced that the Route 72 causeway bridge will be open. Christie said the state will allow residents controlled access to assess damage, retrieve belongings and permit repopulation of the island for residents whose homes are safe and habitable. Here is a short photo tour before Saturday's reopening.  People should procede with caution as there is still a lot of work going on and dangerous conditions in many areas.

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Hurricane Sandy

PHOTOS: Long Beach Island Making Strides, Will Remain Closed for Forseeable Future

Power is on in Surf City and Ship Bottom, but new weather problems may be on the horizon and gas is weeks away.

Seeing a police officer armed with an automatic rifle at the end of the Causeway in Ship Bottom was a worse sight than any nightmare I have ever had. He and a pair of National Guardsmen were checking IDs and verifying access at the Gateway to Long Beach Island for contractors, utility workers, media and some select home and business owners to protect against looters and ensure the saftey on those coming on to the Island. Businesses that had perishable items were being allowed by Beach Haven to get them and leave. Residents in Surf City whose homes had been “red flagged," essentially declared uninhabitable, were allowed to go in briefly to collect personal items. Those helping to rebuild the island were also arrriving in convoys of dump …

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Police Identify Man Found Floating off LBI

61-year-old man was from Mount Laurel

The man whose body was found floating near the former Intracoastal Waterway channel that hugs Ship Bottom was identified as a 61-year-old Burlington County man, police said. State Police Sgt. Julian Castellanos identified the man as John Mee of Mount Laurel. A passing boater discovered his body floating upside down at about 8:20 p.m. Friday, police said. He was found near an abandoned personal watercraft that was floating near the easternmost bridge of the LBI Causeway in the former intracoastal waterway channel which runs along the middle portion of Long Beach Island's bay side. Authorities were at the Ship Bottom municipal boat ramp Friday night after recovering the body. Ship Bottom police blocked off the entrance to the boat ramp area…

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