Hurricane Irene, technically Tropical Storm Irene, is a storm that Long Branch residents will not soon forget. And while the storm did not live up to the "hype," it still had an effect on the city. The days leading up to the storm were days of preparation and speculation by many residents, including officials, who seem to agree that preparing for the storm was worse than the storm itself. "We really got lucky," Mayor Adam Schneider said. "It was luck that it moved a few degrees in the other direction." Long Branch Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Coordinator Stanley Dzuiba agreed. "The…
Sunday marks the first anniversary of the storm that pulled trees from their roots, flooded cars, decimated homes and businesses and left thousands without power. After Irene blew through Long Branch, Eatontown and neighboring towns in August 2011, Long Branch-Eatontown Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. One year later, we're asking you: Does the storm continue to impact you? What changes did you make in and around your home? Did your business, or neighboring businesses survive the wind and flood damage? Add photos of your neighborhood from …
Monmouth and Ocean county residents in need of governmental assistance as they recover from Hurricane Irene will be able to get face-to-face help starting this week. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a Disaster Recovery Center this weekend in the Leonardo section of Middletown for Monmouth County residents and will open a center in Brick for Ocean residents Tuesday. Field specialists will be on hand to assist residents and business owners who wonder if they qualify for federal funds after sustaining damage during the hurricane. Millions of dollars are available through the…
Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday urged those impacted by Hurricane Irene to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - and Neptune will serve as FEMA's hub site for New Jersey. Beginning Wednesday, the Joint Field Office in Neptune will serve as the field office for all federal and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management relief efforts throughout the state. "Representatives from the departments will be located here to ensure that we're all working together, officially and effectively, in a coordinated manner to get assistance to folks as quickly as possible," he said. …
Days after President Barack Obama declared Monmouth County a major disaster area, the Long Branch Office of Emergency Management has now announced that residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Irene can receive aid. Obama's declaration made it possible for county residents to register for relief from FEMA. Affected residents can register with FEMA for aid by calling 1-800-621-3362 or can register online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov. The disaster number residents will need to apply is DR-4021. "They do not have to wait for a disaster recovery center to open and do not have to be…
After touring two northern New Jersey towns ravaged by Hurricane Irene, President Barack Obama assured residents Sunday that the federal government will help them rebuild. "We are going to make sure we provide the resources needed," Obama said while touring Paterson, a city of roughly 150,000 that witnessed severe flooding during Irene because of its proximity to the Passaic River. "I want to make it very clear we are going to meet our federal obligations." Obama visited Paterson and Wayne for an hour-and-a-half with a delegation that included Gov. Chris Christie, U.S. Senators Frank …
President Barack Obama has declared Monmouth County a major disaster area. Congressman Frank Pallone, D-6, said he was notified of President Obama's decision on Saturday. Obama also declared Middlesex County a major disaster area. Sixteen New Jersey counties are now eligible for possible relief from FEMA: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren. Gov. Chris Christie previously requested assistance for all 21 New Jersey counties, but damage assessments need to be concluded before …
Ocean and Monmouth counties may be eligible for disaster aid as Federal Emergency Management Agency officials work to assess damage that is still impacting thousands of residents almost a full week after Hurricane Irene stormed New Jersey. Individual residents also will be able to register to receive aid for a variety of losses regardless of whether they carry a private insurance policy. But such FEMA monies only are available as of Friday to residents of Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties, per a federal disaster declaration made earlier this week. While the Shore continues…
On almost any other year, the focus around the Jersey Shore region this week would be on getting ready for the Labor Day Weekend. And while there is still a significant amount of excitement for the end of summer festivities, there is still a lot of work to be done to clean up from Hurricane Irene. According to AAA, before Hurricane Irene arrived last weekend more than 950 thousand people were expected to travel to our area. It is not known how many of those people will change their plans based on the damage done here and other parts of the state. "Now that we have said goodbye to Irene, more …
Four days after Hurricane Irene hit the city, the number of those without power is starting to diminish. JCP&L is reporting that there are 185 reported outages in Long Branch, 21 in Elberon and 7 in West End. Several restaurants and businesses in West End were without power until Wednesday, and now almost all are up and running. The traffic light at the corner of Second Avenue and Brighton Avenue is also now working. Power has also reportedly been restored to Howland Avenue on Thursday morning. Howland Avenue is where a potential tornado touched down in the area. The street is still closed …
Monmouth County Health Department inspectors have been busy visiting restaurants and grocery stores that lost power or sustained damage during Hurricane Irene, according to Monmouth County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis. “I haven’t seen an inspector in two days. They’ve been out constantly,” he said. The department is responsible for assessing conditions at food establishments in 23 Monmouth County towns. The Monmouth Regional Health Department and five municipal health departments in Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Long Branch, Middletown and Manalapan oversee businesses in the rest…
Did Hurricane Irene live up to the hype? With 700,000 New Jersey residents out of powerat one point or another, thousands of homes flooded in various parts of the state, four people dead and mass transit halted for multiple days, the storm's effects sound much as predicted. Meteorologists and many residents said it did, indeed, live up to its reputation, though some aren't convinced. "We thought it was going to be a lot worse than it turned out to be," Manahawkin resident Manny Ambar told Patch on Sunday, as he was taking a break from surfing in Surf City. "We felt like it skipped right over …
Many Long Branch residents are still on the dark on Monday morning, as JCP&L is reporting an increase in power outages in Long Branch and West Long Branch. In Long Branch, JCP&L is reporting that 3,920 people are without power, as of 4:03 p.m., compared to 1,399 Monday morning. West Long Branch had 0 outages Monday morning, but that number has climbed to 81, according to JCP&L. The Long Branch Office of Emergency Management sent out the following Code Red message on Monday afternoon: City officials understand that a large number of residents are still without power. We have been working …
Hello again everyone and welcome back here to the Monmouth U Corner at Long Branch Patch. My name is Zach Levine, and I am a bit soggy to tell you the truth. What weather we are having this week. Hope everyone in the West Long Branch area had minimal property damage and was able to hold their own during this terrible storm. For the last week, my family and I have storm-proofed our home, moving deck furniture indoors and cutting down branches to prevent all damage to the front of our house. I have also been watching 24 straight hours of The Weather Channel, and I am going a bit stir crazy in …
As New Jersey begins to reassemble itself after Hurricane Irene's weekend of destruction, concerns have been raised over the quality of ocean water. On August 26, one day before the effects of Hurricane Irene began along the Jersey Shore, New Jersey Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin signed an order closing shellfish beds statewide. "This predicted precipitation, high winds and storm surge will likely result in significant flooding, power outages, sewage bypasses and sanitary sewer overflows resulting in degraded water quality," the order read. One such sewerage spill has …
There are still more than 120,000 people without power in Monmouth County Monday morning as the National Weather Service has put portions under a flood warning. The service issued the flood warning for southern Monmouth and northern Ocean counties at 5 a.m., saying the north branch of the Matedeconk River and the Squankum River at Manasqan remained above flood stage. The warning is in effect until 1 p.m. Flooding has not been a major issue in Long Branch, but there have been some reports that some side streets were experiencing minor flooding throughout the city. Jersey Central Power & Light …
The Garden State Parkway between Brick and Wall townships -- closed for emergency repair overnight -- has been re-opened, State Police said. The Parkway was closed in both directions between exits 91 and 98 most of the day Sunday and overnight into Monday because of flooding and subsequent repairs, according to Thomas Feeney, Turnpike Authority spokesman. The repairs were completed and the roadway reopened at 6 a.m. Monday, Feeney said. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority reported at 2:30 a.m. Monday that all southbound lanes on the Parkway between Exit 98 at Route 138 in Wall and Exit 91 at …
People start returning to the streets of Long Branch and West Long Branch. Some are returning to chop up trees that fell on their property, others to return to the homes they evacuated on Friday and Saturday, and some were out just to survey the damage. Long Branch Emergency Management Coordinator Stanley Dziuba said Long Branch Middle School, which was used as a shelter over the weekend, has been closed and people were returning home as of noon on Sunday. Dziuba at one point, about 500 people used the shelter, a far cry from its capacity of 1,500. Dziuba said no major roads were closed in …
