SOUTH RIVER — Flood-impacted residents were connected with various agencies that could help them during an April 24 meeting at the South River Middle School cafeteria.
Representatives of groups such as the American Red Cross, New Jersey Hope and Healing, the state Department of Community Affairs and state Department of Bank- ing and Insurance spoke at the start of the meeting. Residents were then given an opportunity to speak and ask questions of the Borough Council.
“We are here tonight for you — the public — to talk to the various governmental agencies that are here. Sandy relief is basically out of the borough’s hands,” said Mayor John Krenzel, adding that help is available at the state and federal levels and through nonprofit organizations.
Krenzel added that, by now, all residents who experienced significant flooding during superstorm Sandy should be signed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The mayor also reported that councilmen Jim Hutchison and Jim Jones were actively looking into resources that may be available through the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Once you have a crisis, then people start doing things,” he said.
Resident Susan Olsen said her home has been serving as a central place for impacted residents to get information, as she said the biggest problem right now is “getting communication out.”
“My home at 9 Albert St. has become your bulletin board,” she said, adding that newsworthy items such as the reopening of Causeway Ice Cream are important to share.
Before the meeting, Olsen said she felt the borough had a long way to go in terms of Sandy recovery, and that the impacted properties were subject to theft in the short term and mold issues in the long run.
She said those present at the meeting could be resources to the residents in need, and recommended that those impacted, especially those with children, speak with New Jersey Hope and Healing.
“They deal with the mental end of this disaster,” she said.
Olsen said she also wants to work with the schools to learn of their needs and to find tech-savvy and creative students who may be able to assist her in getting information to others. Down the road, she said, she wants to start a committee to help raise funds for impacted residents.
Borough Business Administrator Frederick Carr said he is trying to compile the email addresses of all residents interested in a buyout of their property so that he can keep everyone updated on the process.
Carr also addressed residents’ concerns that the application deadline for the Blue Acres program was approaching without notice, as they had heard Sayreville was wrapping up its application process.
Carr explained that South River has a different deadline, so the borough is working with a different timeframe. He said 70 South River residents have filed for Blue Acres funding.
Residents also expressed concerns about the waterfront being a place to dump garbage, exacerbating the flooding problem, and the idea that they will repair their homes and later learn that FEMA will buy their properties. Some also talked about downed trees that may be on Conrail property.
Teri Lavoie of Belmont Avenue said her home has taken on water three times in the past 10 years.
“We have over $80,000 in damage to our house. My concern is: We’re doing all this work — what’s my guarantee that it isn’t going to happen again?” she asked. “What happens next year when we get a storm that’s worse? Is it even worth the headache?”
Lavoie said she feels her neighborhood has been forgotten.
Krenzel said the borough was looking at possibilities such as raising funds with other municipalities along the Raritan and South rivers, and then going to the state to see what can be done.
“That’s what Bound Brook did,” he said.