When Can We Return to the Island to Check Our Homes? Added 11/5/12
New as of 11/6/12
From the Toms River Township website at www.tomsrivertownship.com
Mayor Kelaher and Chief Mastronardy attended a meeting this morning with the NJ Department of Transportation, Lavallette, Brick and Seaside Heights authorities. The DOT has declared that the roadways on the barrier island North of Seaside Heights are unsafe. They have found over 22 sink holes some being as much as 8 feet deep. The DOT is aggressively attempting to stabilize the situation. The pending Nor’Easter is of great concern and it is unsure how it may affect their progress. This situation will directly impact the development of any type of public access to the Island.
Until the DOT gives us permission, we can’t allow access onto the barrier island. No timetable has been set. The most up to date information will be posted on our website.
Ortley Beach is known as Ground Zero. This area was affected by the storm more than the neighboring towns.
Below Added 11/5/12 ——————————————————————————-
This is the question that we all have, and are awaiting an answer from Toms River Township. Some people are complaining the OB II is not getting its members onto the island. Please note that OB II, nor any other community, has control over the access to the island. Martial Law has been implemented, and the government now controls everything that takes place. No one is able to access the island, except for first responders, cleanup crews, and utility companies. The National Guard has check points throughout the island, and is patrolling the area.
Yesterday, November 4th, the representatives from the various communities met with Toms River Police Chief Mike Mastronardy, Councilwoman Maria Maruca, and a FEMA representative. Five of our Board members and Pat Daley attended the meeting to gather information for our membership.
The township is working on a plan right now to get residents onto the island so that they can gather small possessions, medications, important papers, etc. A bus will take residents to their community, and we will have approximately 30 minutes to spend out our homes. The bus will then return us to the mainland. We will notify you when the plan has been announced, and when we are scheduled for our visit.
Another plan is being prepared for a second visit for residents to return and spend more time to winterize their homes and make minor repairs. No dates were given for this second phase of visits. It is our opinion that this could be within the next few weeks. Again, no dates or time frame have been established for the second visit. We will again notify you once the plan has been published.
Things are happening quite quickly, and the situation is very fluid. Information may be released by the township that we haven’t heard about, so we will post the info as soon as we receive it. We will not post rumors, and will only add official information that we receive from the Chief’s office. The newspapers may not always be accurate, so please don’t rely upon them, or make plans based on what you read.
We are all concerned about our homes, and want to protect them from additional damage. We understand that homes need to be winterized, interior work needs to be done stop mold damage, etc. Ten thousand homes have been evacuated, so we’re all in the same boat. OB II is not unique in this disaster. The Board of Governors cannot get our members into their homes until the township releases its plan.
Insurance adjusters are also not allowed on the island. We all know that we can’t finalize our claims until an adjuster visits the home. However, just like us, they cannot get onto the island.
Please check back for more updates. Keep in mind that the newest posts are always listed at the top of the main page on this site.