Mayor Kelaher: Toms River Five Months After Sandy

It is now five months past Superstorm Sandy and it would be appropriate at this time to report on where the township stands.  

By way of a quick review, approximately 10,000 homes in Toms River were either destroyed, partially destroyed and/or flooded with 2,000 homes in Ortley Beach, 4,000 homes in the Northern Beaches between Lavallette and Brick, and 4,000 homes along the low-lying areas on the West side of the Barnegat Bay and along the Toms River.  

All of the costs associated with this storm have not been calculated, but some of the Township-owned property that was damaged is estimated to be approximately $35 million. This damage includes streets that were washed away, boardwalks that were destroyed, lifeguard buildings that were destroyed, and the street end bulkheads together with the associated drainage systems.

Since the storm, the township has been on overdrive around the clock. We’ve been cleaning mountains of debris (in many cases the complete contents of residents’ homes), providing police security to prevent looting, inspecting all of the damaged properties, issuing various permits or building permits, and meeting with the FEMA representatives and homeowners associations. In addition, the township has handled hundreds of phone calls a day. To handle this load of telephone calls, we established a phone bank and mobilized our Class 1 police reserve officers to be on duty to field all of the telephone calls and make every effort to direct them to the appropriate office.

We have spent considerable time meeting with FEMA representatives. One of the accomplishments was the change of policy by FEMA that now permitted the township to be reimbursed for the removal of debris on commercial property. It was our desire to do this so that the businesses, particularly on the beach area, could get back into business.  

We were also able to obtain permission from FEMA to reverse their position about the demolition of structurally unsound homes on private property. FEMA’s position had been that if a house was beyond repair on private property, the demolition would be the responsibility of the homeowner. In fact, however, in a number of areas more than one home drifted onto adjacent property where it would not be fair to impose on this homeowner the obligation to pay the cost of the demolition of two or more houses that floated onto their property. We are also anxious to attempt to open a portion of the beach areas this summer and these homes damaged beyond repair constituted a safety hazard.

Finally, last, but not least, we had meetings with the United State Army Corp. of Engineers to discuss dune and beach replenishment along the barrier island. As I write this article, the issue of dune and beach replenishment has not been resolved. The issue has to do with the property owners signing an easement allowing the Township to build temporary dunes along the beachfront. The township is in a position to build these temporary dunes and be reimbursed by FEMA, but we cannot go on private property without the property owners’ signing an easement.  

In addition, the Army Corp. of Engineers is ready to construct a dune and beach replenishment project from the Manasquan River Inlet to the Barnegat Inlet, but they will not begin until they are in possession of easements from all of the property owners. We have had numerous meetings with the property owners and/or the homeowner association leadership, and I am hopeful that common sense will prevail and all of the beachfront property owners will execute these easements. Both FEMA and Brigadier General Mike Weir of the Army Corp. of Engineers have advised that if their project had been completed and in place, the damage would have been minimal.

Not only is it good that the Army Corp. build dunes, but they replenish the beach the approximate length of a football field, and the combination of the extended beach and the dunes just about guarantees that there will no damage to beachfront properties and/or the low-lying areas along the Barnegat Bay.  

In the meantime, we are working very closely with Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, and in particular, the Department of Community Affairs Division of Local Finance to make every effort to obtain funding for budget purposes to offset all of the costs of the storm so that the costs of the storm do not have to be spread out over taxpayers in the community.  This is essential because the storm has caused the Township to lose 20 to 25 percent of the tax ratable property.  

Please continue to monitor the Township website for updates  at www.TomsRiverTownship.com.