SBA Disaster News Release - Encourages Hurricane Sandy Survivors in New Jersey to Apply for Assistance Before Insurance Settlement - Click here for English, Click here for Spanish

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 10:45PM

The JCP&L Company has been requested by Board Staff to provide information pertaining to requiring inspections in flood damaged homes before reconnection of electrical service including why such inspections are required. The following responds to this request.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 6:00PM

Following please find an informational recovery guide from United Way and NJ211

NJ 211 has produced its Hurricane Sandy Response and Recovery Guide available at
http://www.nj211.org/images/HurricaneSandy/NJ211HurricaneSandyResourceGuide.pdf

The table of contents is searchable, just click on the topic and it will take you to the section. We are still receiving local resources and will update daily or more as needed. It is suggested that if the guide is downloaded that it be done in small quantities with instructions to check back often for updates.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 12:30PM

To assist consumers who have suffered property loss as a result of Hurricane Sandy, the Christie Administration announced today the Department of Banking and Insurance will have staff members available at locations in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties Thursday, November 15, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to handle consumers’ questions, take complaints, and assist them in filing insurance claims related to damages caused by the storm.

“New Jersey residents have suffered tremendous damages to their homes, their automobiles and other property from Hurricane Sandy and now as they begin to rebuild, they have questions related to their insurance,” said Acting Commissioner Ken Kobylowski. “Setting up these mobile offices gives us the opportunity to take information and assistance directly to people in their communities and give them all the help we can.”

The Department will send members of its senior staff along with consumer representatives to each location. Staff will provide consumers with literature on such topics as property insurance, flood insurance and general information about filing insurance claims, as well as answer general questions and assistance. There will also be a representative from the Governor’s Office at each site. In order to expedite matters, residents should bring their insurance policy and any claim information to the mobile office.

The locations are as follows:

Middlesex County:
Sayreville Senior Center
423 Main Street
Sayreville, NJ 08872

Monmouth County:
West Park Recreation Center
615 West Park Avenue
Oakhurst, NJ 07755

Ocean County:
Berkeley Township Recreation Center
630 Route 9
Bayville, NJ

Wednesday, November 14, 2012 - 5:20AM

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, FEMA is working hard to ensure that disaster recovery information is available to all who need it, regardless of their language proficiency. A FEMA public service announcement, available in ten languages, can be accessed at the following links:

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 - 12:15PM

State permit surcharges and municipal permit fees for work made necessary by hurricane damage are waived.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 - 11:30AM

An option for flood damaged vehicles from Kars4Kids.

There is a service available that may be beneficial to people that were affected by the storm.

People that do not have comprehensive insurance or were not covered for flood damage, are unfortunately left with few options. Flood damaged cars are usually un-repairable and nearly impossible to resell(besides needing to get a flood title), And many tow operators are charging stiff fees just to remove from people’s driveway or property.

Kars4kids is offering to take these cars at no charge and in a quick and efficient manner plus giving them a tax deductible receipt . Additionally we will assist these people with replacing lost title and lien release documents so they have one thing less to worry about as they return to their homes and day to day life .
They can call us anytime at 1-877- kars4kids or at kars4kids.org

We have extended late and weekend hours and extra tow crews in affected areas.

Saturday, November 12, 2012 - 7:30PM

Jersey Central Power & Light will be closing our Emergency Response Phone Center (phone number 855-878-3089) tonight at 6pm. Customers who would like to report outage or other conditions may contact JCP&L at 888-544-4877.

Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 8:00PM

Jersey Central Power & Light Expects Majority of Mainland Customers Affected By Severe Weather to be Restored by Tonight
Mon Power Restoration Work More Than 95 Percent Complete

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov. 10, 2012 -- Almost 8,000 linemen are part of a massive effort to restore power to Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) customers following last week's Hurricane Sandy and this week's nor'easter.

Approximately 60,000 JCP&L customers on the New Jersey mainland remain without power. The majority of these customers, including those who experienced new outages as a result of the nor'easter, will have power restored by late this evening. In some communities where service wires to individual homes must be replaced, power will be restored by late Sunday evening.

In the Barrier Islands and some of the shoreline communities where the storm devastation is most severe, about 30,000 customers remain without power. While progress has been made in repairing the transmission system to this area, JCP&L continues working with state and local officials on developing and implementing a full restoration plan and timeline to connect affected customers safely.

As local power lines are repaired and put back in service, damage to individual customer service wires may delay final restoration to homes. To expedite the restoration process, JCP&L is working with local officials to identify these affected "single no lights" customers to see if a repair needs to be made to the home by a licensed electrician before service can be reconnected.

In West Virginia, more than 3,700 utility workers, including more than 1,800 linemen, continue to repair damage caused by high wind and wet, heavy snow in the higher elevations. Power has been restored to more than 95 percent of the approximately 230,000 customers affected by the severe weather. Currently, approximately 8,700 Mon Power customers remain without service. Restoration for customers in the most heavily damaged areas, including parts of Barbour, Nicholas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Upshur and Webster counties should be completed by the end of the weekend.

To report an outage, customers should call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877). If power has been restored to your neighbors, but your power remains out, be sure to report the outage. The issue could be isolated to an individual home and require further repairs.

As restoration work continues, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and keep children and pets away from them. Downed wires should be reported immediately to your electric company or local police or fire department. Customers should never try to remove trees or limbs from power lines because they could conduct electricity. They should wait for emergency services or utility crews to arrive.

For updated information on the company's current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit the 24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages. JCP&L customers can find the latest information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL. FirstEnergy operating companies also are providing updates via Twitter @JCP_L and @MonPowerWV.

FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. Its generation subsidiaries control more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables.

Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 3:00PM

Service to Majority of Jersey Central Power & Light Customers to Be Restored by Saturday
Mon Power Restoration Work Continues

More than 14,500 FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) professionals, outside contractors and utility workers are restoring service to Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) customers following last week's Hurricane Sandy and this week's nor'easter.

Approximately 168,000 JCP&L customers in New Jersey remain without power. Since yesterday, crews restored power to approximately 100,000 customers.

Today, an additional 1,200 line workers are traveling to New Jersey from the northeast to join nearly 7,000 line workers already on the ground. With these additional resources, the majority of customers who do not have power, including those who experienced new outages as a result of the nor'easter, will have power restored by Saturday evening. In some communities where service wires to individual homes must be replaced, power will be restored by Sunday evening. Devastated areas, mostly in the barrier islands where crews were not able to begin service restoration until recently, will extend into next week.

In West Virginia, more than 3,000 utility workers, including 1,300 linemen, continue to repair damage caused by high wind and wet, heavy snow in the higher elevations. Crews have replaced more than 600 distribution poles and work continues to replace an additional 400-plus poles, of which 220 are off-road poles. Currently, approximately 11,700 Mon Power customers remain without service, and power has been restored to about 230,000 customers affected by the storm. Restoration for customers in the most heavily damaged areas, including parts of Barbour, Nicholas, Preston, Randolph, Tucker, Upshur and Webster counties should be completed by the end of the weekend.
As restoration work continues, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines. Always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and keep children and pets away from them. Downed wires should be reported immediately to your electric company or local police or fire department. Customers should never try to remove trees or limbs from power lines because they could conduct electricity. They should wait for emergency services or utility crews to arrive.

To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of utility company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, always disconnect the power coming into the home so power from the generator is not sent back onto the utility company lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers.

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 10:38PM

Starting Tuesday, November 6th at 8am, Homeless To Independence Inc. will be allowing people to come and do up to two loads of laundry wash and dry per family.

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 8:00PM

Resident Resources:
Food Stores
Food Establishments
Hotels
Pharmacies
Fuel

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 2:30PM

Due to no NJ Transit train service from Matawan-Aberdeen station, NJ Transit is starting an emergency bus service tomorrow November 9th. It will operate from the Aberdeen/Matawan rail station, and will offer an alternative travel option to downtown Manhattan. The bus service will take commuters to Statue Cruise Lines ferries at Liberty State Park. The ferry service will go to Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan. Both the bus service and the ferry service will be free. Buses will operate from 5:30 am to 9:00am for the morning rush, and from 4:00pm to 8:00pm for the return from Liberty State Park. NJ TRANSIT will have personnel, including a bus dispatcher on site.

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 1:40PM

More Personnel Arrive to Assist Power Restoration to JCP&L Customers Following Hurricane Sandy, Nor'easter
Click here for press release

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 1:35PM

As of today, November 8th, the 7pm to 7am Curfew is no longer in effect for Aberdeen.

St. Clements Church on Route 79 in Matawan is collecting donations of non-perishable food items, flashlights, batteries, baby supplies and manual can openers, tonight 6:30 to 8:30, tomorrow 6:30 to 8:30pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm in their gym.
No clothing is being accepted at this time. Call St. Clements Church at 732-591-8180.

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 1:30PM

Town Hall is open as a warming station. Residents may charge their cell phones etc, have a cup of coffee or tea and a snack.

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 10:30AM

NJ SMALL BUSINESSES CONFERENCE CALL: HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF EFFORTS - Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

Dear Business Leaders,

Governor Chris Christie is pleased to offer small business owners the opportunity to join Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), New Jersey Economic Development Authority and New Jersey Business Action Center senior officials for a conference call on the federal and state government's efforts to help small businesses and homeowners recover from Hurricane Sandy. Officials will provide updates and answer questions about assistance and support to states affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, ensuring the federal family and its public and private partners continue to provide all available resources to support state, local, territorial and tribal communities in affected areas.

WHAT: New Jersey Economic Development Authority, FEMA, SBA and New Jersey Business Action Center senior officials update call with local, small business owners and officials on Sandy relief efforts.

WHEN: Thursday, November 8 at 2 p.m. ET

DIAL IN: Dial-in: 1-888-621-9649; Event number: 411483

Wednesday, November 8, 2012 - 10:30AM

Helping Children when disaster and violence occur.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - 2:30PM

GOVERNOR CHRISTIE ANNOUNCES FEMA PUBLIC ASSISTANCE APPROVED FOR ALL 21 NEW JERSEY COUNTIES

TRENTON, NJ – Governor Chris Christie announced that the federal government has extended public assistance to all 21 counties in New Jersey as a result of the impact of Hurricane Sandy, extending public assistance now to all 11 New Jersey counties not previously approved. This additional assistance comes in the aftermath of the historic hurricane, while joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) continue to take place in these 11 counties to determine eligibility for individual assistance.

Public Assistance Program funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Individuals impacted by Hurricane Sandy in the 10 counties previously approved for both public and individual assistance are encouraged to register with FEMA. Those counties include: Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Union counties. Eligibility allows New Jerseyans to apply for different types of assistance, including temporary housing, repair, replacement or other needs such as Disaster Unemployment Assistance, and Small Business Administration disaster loans.

Register by phone at 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585 for those with hearing or speech impairments. Specialists are standing by at the toll-free numbers seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time, until further notice. Help in languages other than English is available. Or you can register online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov. You can also apply through a web-enabled mobile device or smartphone by visiting http://m.fema.gov/ and following the link to "apply online for federal assistance."

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - 12:55PM

The Distribution Centers for Ice and water will be closing at 1pm due to weather and will reopen at 8 am.

Anyone needing shelter should contact the Aberdeen Township Police Department 732-566-2054

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 7:05AM

Resident Resources:
Food Stores
Food
Hotels
Pharmacies
Fuel

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 1:21AM

Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue is working with several local areas to help people and their pets. Highlands and Keyport accept pets and they are also helping people in Staten Island. Castle of Dreams also have several volunteers on standby for fosters. If anyone needs help with their pets call CODAR at 732-765-8378

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 11:50AM

The Strathmore Elementary School located at 282 Church St., Aberdeen, is available today and tomorrow as a warming station until 10:00 PM.

Monday, November 5, 2012 - 5:50PM

A warming center will be open on Tuesday November 6 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the George Hausmann Senior Center, 30 Noble Place, Aberdeen.

Resources:
Food Stores
Food
Hotels
Pharmacies
Fuel
Mobile Insurance Claims Units

Monday, November 5, 2012 - 8:45AM

The township is offering a Safe Trick-or-Treat event for children at town hall on Monday November 5 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Sunday, November 4, 2012 - 8:45AM

Beginning at 9:00 AM Sunday November 4 oxygen will be available for residents needing to refill oxygen tanks at Oakhurst Welding, 2112 Kings Highway, Oakhurst. Phone number 732-493-8100

Saturday, November 3, 2012 - 1:50PM

FEMA Assistance Information

Saturday, November 3, 2012 - 1:50PM

Monmouth County Voters can vote at 300 Halls Mill Road, Freehold, today, Saturday from 9am to 5pm, Sunday from 9am to 5pm and on Monday 8:30am to 3pm. Voting will also take place on Tuesday, November 6th as follows:

Aberdeen Polling Place location changes:

District 1 will move from Cliffwood firehouse to Municipal Building (One Aberdeen Square).

District 2 will move from Cliffwood Firehouse to Municipal Building

District 3 will move from VFW to Municipal Building

District 4 will move from VFW to Municipal Building

District 5 will move from Cross of Glory to Municipal building

District 6 will move from High School to Municipal building

District 7will move from EMS building to Aberdeen Firehouse (Lloyd Road)

District 8 will stay the same.

District 9 will move from EMS building to Aberdeen Firehouse (Lloyd Road)

District 10 will stay same

District 11 will stay same

District 12 will move from Cross of Glory to Municipal building

District 13 will move from High School to Municipal Building

Fri. Nov. 1 - 3:50pm

1.) FEMA registration/application for Monmouth County Residents:

www.disasterassistance.gov
1-800-621-3362 (FEMA)
TTY: 1-800-462-7585

2.) Distribution addresses:

Circle Factory Outlets
1407 Atlantic Avenue
Wall, NJ 07719

Holy Family Church
910 Route 36
Hazlet 07730

Monmouth Park
175 Oceanport Avenue
Oceanport, NJ 07757

3). Resident phone bank number: 732-303-2882

Fri. Nov. 1 - 3:45pm

Open NJ Food Stores

Fri. Nov 1 - 3:45pm

Open Shoprite stores in NJ

Thurs. Nov. 1 - 3:00pm

Fire officials are warning all residents about the danger of using gas stoves and ovens for heating purposes. Boiling water and/or using gas burners for extended periods of time can result in elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the home. In addition, fire officials are recommending that generators be operated at least 20 feet away from the home to avoid dangerous fumes.

Wed. Oct. 31 - 5:35pm

Rumors of a water shutdown are unfounded. Any such announcements will be made through official channels.

Tue. Oct. 30 - 5:50pm

Monmouth County has ordered a curfew from 7 PM until 7 AM until further notice. Also, Matawan-Aberdeen Schools are closed Wednesday. Trick-or-Treating is postponed untilSaturday November 3. We have no estimate as to when power will be restored. Please do not call police headquarters with inquiries about restoration.

Mon. Oct. 29 - 9:20pm

Due to the extensive amount of power lines down throughout the township, residents are cautioned to remain indoors until such time that JCP&L can render them safe. All downed wires should be treated as live. Please be advised that travel for non-essential personnel is banned in the township.

Mon. Oct. 29 - 5:00pm

Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall later this evening with high winds, severe flooding, and power outages. A travel ban will be in effect at 6:00 PM Monday. Residents are advised to stay indoors and shelter in place. Those requiring assistance should contact police headquarters at 732-566-2054.

Mon. Oct. 29 - 1:30pm

PROCLAMATION OF LOCAL DISASTER / EMERGENCY

Mon. Oct. 28 - 12:20pm

Hurricane Sandy is expected to impact our area beginning Sunday evening

Mon. Oct. 27 - 9:30pm

JCP&L continues our peparation plans for Hurricane Sandy, Key points in preparation are

Mon. Oct. 26 - 8:45pm

New Jersey American Water Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Safety Checklist

Your Family Disaster Plan

Food and Water in an Emergency

County encourages you to prepare, plan and stay informed