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MANVILLE: Flood fears still bring shudders here

By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
Photos by Mary Ellen DayA year ago, flood waters inundated South Main Street at JFK Boulevard. Photos top and bottom show 2011 versus this week.
Flood fears still
bring shudders here
Some people have left their homes
as borough pleads for funding help
Flooding
– 8FLOODING –
Mary Ellen DaySpecial Writer
It was one year ago Manville was hit with yet another hurricane, this one named Irene.
The town was devastated by flooding that took a toll on the community.
Manville was in the path of Hurricane Irene as it slammed into the town late Saturday night of Aug. 27, causing severe flooding. It was 40 years earlier — Aug. 28, 1971 — that Manville was faced with another flood in Doria.
Irene brought heavy rains to the borough and caused flooding in many parts of the town. Residents had to be evacuated out of Lost Valley and the low-lying sections of Manville.
The Office of Emergency Management began broadcasting on its emergency radio station with information about the storm. The emergency alert phone system called homes with messages. An estimated 600 residential homes and local businesses had flooding damage, ranging from minor to catastrophic.
Manville had help from many people to get residents back into their homes and on their feet. People from the Christian Ministry group came into Manville right after Hurricane Irene hit. The group traveled from North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and other destinations to come help Manville residents. They helped residents like Ed and Angie Knitowski, of Lost Valley, rebuild their foundations of the homes.
Deb Knitowski saw the foundation collapse on the house owned by her in-laws. Luckily she and her husband, Mike, were up on the south side and weren’t affected.
Her home became "Hotel Knitowski." She had extended family for a month, a generator for five days and was sharing electricity with her neighbors.
Ms. Knitowski said, "What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger."
Her son, Michael, helped his father rebuild his grandparents’ house.
Jackie Skorupa, also a Lost Valley resident, said she still has "an eerie feeling when it rains hard."
"I worry because my daughter lives by Rhythms (a club on South Main Street), and I am down the valley," she said. "They usually get the water first, and she calls me and tells me where it is in her driveway. Then it’s time to move.
"I love Manville and grew up here so I don’t want to move, but I would like to move out of the valley. Who is going to buy down here now? No one. The houses lost so much value already. You drive down the streets, and some houses are still empty. People can’t go through it again. It’s just too much for the older ones."
She said her father "can’t go through it again."
She said, "He will be 80 next month, and he built his house. Where is he going to go? So we just stay and pray that Mother Nature will give us a break and go somewhere else."
After the initial storm wave, Gov. Chris Christie came to Manville to see the devastation for himself. He promised to do whatever was needed to help residents.
"No doubt this community is facing some real challenges in the aftermath of this hurricane," the governor said at the time. "If you spend any time in Manville, you will know exactly what I meant. These folks are suffering from record flooding, and I want to commend the people of Manville and the mayor for their incredible spirit and resilience."
Since the flooding, Manville has lost many residents in Lost Valley, the north side and the south side. Homes were damaged so much residents could not fix them and opted to leave. There are homes that are still in the renovation stage and even a few in the valley that have been raised to prevent future flooding. Those who did not have the chance chose to leave and start life outside of Manville.
Among businesses lost were the Red Door Boutique and Riverside Grill on South Main Street. The Stop & Go and Sieberg’s had months of hard work to bring their businesses back to life.
Christ the King Church was flooded again. The sanctuary itself was dry, but the rectory and the basement were filled up to the bottom steps of the church with water. The church needed work, and the basement was redone — maybe for the last time.
The bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen has told Pastor Stanislaw Slaby that the diocese will not help fund repairs if the church floods again. The church potentially could close and be torn down.
According to Borough Administrator Gary Garwacke, there are 15 homes on three blocks that are being bought, and the land will be cleared. The homes that are being bought out are the balance of "victims" from Hurricane Floyd. The area is off Kyle Street in the vicinity of Boesel and Lincoln avenues.
"We are at a stage now we are hoping to start closing on the first properties by the end of September," he said. "We have appraisals. We have been in contact with the owners. We have set some prices to be appraised and processed, and the mayor and council have arranged for surveys and title searches."
Mr. Garwacke also said the borough is preparing bid specifications for demolition of the properties. A consultant is going to the homes to make sure there are no environmental concerns.
"With any luck, we will see the first closing at the end of September. We hope to have this all done and all the homes down by the end of the year," Mr. Garwacke said.
The borough is applying for more grants to help with the elevations or buyouts, he said.
Mayor Angelo Corradino said the borough is petitioning the county to assist Manville by utilizing open space funds, which have been expanded to apply to flood-prone properties.
"We send over $300,000 to the county each year for open space and get very little in return since we are 99 percent developed," the mayor said. "This is an opportunity for Somerset County to assist us."
The mayor said the town is working to ensure banks maintain the property of any homes that were foreclosed. The borough was placing liens on homes it is forced to maintain for the health and safety of residents.
Councilman Richard Onderko has been a persistent advocate for Manville to get help.
"During the past year, we have made significant progress, bringing the spotlight to Manville and the surrounding area’s flooding problem by forming a legal multitown Raritan and Millstone Rivers Flood Control Commission," he said.
Nine towns of the 21 in Somerset County participate.
"Our elected officials at every level are fully aware of our need for flood mitigation funding for the ongoing flood study with the Army Corps of Engineers," Mr. Onderko said. "A sense of urgency has been conveyed to all parties. Our residents have endured three major flood events in the last five years. Manville’s council has passed a recent resolution urging legislators and congressional delegates for their financial support and shared with all municipalities within the river basin. Our Somerset County freeholders are on board, our governor visited after Hurricane Irene, and our senators and congressmen are aware of our needs. They must acquire funding dollars so levee construction can begin in Manville."
Mayor Corradino said he felt the recovery was proceeding as well as possible considering the lack of aid from the county and the state.
"People are just disgusted and fearful since there is no guarantee that there is an end in sight," Mayor Corradino said. "Still, Manville residents are proud and resilient people and will put it all together and start from square one once again."
He said the recovery time from any major flood can take up to five years or more.
The mayor said the borough was "working hard to ensure that the study, which has been dormant for the last four years, is resurrected and completed as quickly as possible."
He said Manville looks toward a successful levee like the one built in Bound Brook. Manville needs the same, he said.
"Unlike Bound Brook, which took almost 50 years to complete the project, Manville does not have the luxury to wait that long," he said. "My goal is to have the study completed by the end of my term (at end of 2015), and we will push to have a shovel in the ground within the next five to six years. I hope to see South Main Street thriving with businesses not afraid to come into our town because they fear flooding."
Mr. Onderko said Manville’s governing body is participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System to help reduce national flood insurance premiums for residents by 5 to 45 percent.
The borough also will apply to FEMA’s Severe Repetitive Loss grant program for 90 percent funding for future buyouts or elevations based on having a hazard mitigation plan in place, the councilman said.
"This program benefits homeowners who have carried flood insurance," he said. "This is a national program, and our elected officials need to fight for more funding. We need residents to remain engaged and attend a commission meeting held monthly to keep abreast of the progress that the Army Corps of Engineers is making."
Flooding affects all homeowners in Manville, no matter where people live, and carries an ever-increasing tax burden. Fifteen homes in the Lost Valley section have applied for buyouts and will be knocked down — removing the ratables from tax rolls.
Barbara Demchak, whose home wasn’t affected by the flood, said more and more Manville people need assistance with food and other things. Since insurance companies don’t pay for everything, families run short at the end of the month.
"I have really seen a rise (in need) here," she said. "It is also very sad to drive through town and see houses abandoned. Some of my friends have had to move out of town. Of course, the saddest part of the flood was that Christ the King will close if it floods again."
Numerous homes have been abandoned, Mr. Onderko said.
"We need a levee constructed on our side of the Millstone River as soon as possible to bring relief and hope to the residents impacted by repeated flooding," he said. "Then the comeback in Manville can begin."