Members of the audience cheer and call out in response to the president’s remarks that the Shore is “stronger than the storm.” PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR The buzzword was “recovery.” As President Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Christie reunited to tour the Shore last week, residents and elected officials weighed in on just what it will take for New Jersey to finally get past superstorm Sandy.
Obama and Christie focused primarily on economic recovery on May 28 while addressing a crowd of hundreds gathered on the Asbury Park boardwalk, announcing that the Jersey Shore is open for business this summer.
“If anybody wondered whether the Shore could ever be all right again, you got your answer this weekend,” Obama said, referring to a Memorial Day weekend that saw dozens of Sandy-damaged boardwalks and businesses reopen to the summer tourist crowd.
“From Sea Bright to Bay Head, from Belmar to Seaside Heights, folks were hanging out on balconies and beaches. Shows were sold out at the Stone Pony. Kids were eating ice cream and going on rides. … The Jersey Shore is back in business.”
Following his remarks, the president greets members of the crowd, many of whom waited hours in the rain outside Convention Hall in Asbury Park on May 28 to hear him speak. Prior to the speech, Obama and Christie made an unscheduled stop in Point Pleasant, playing some boardwalk games and inspecting firsthand the progress made since the Oct. 29 storm.
“We played some Touchdown Fever,” Obama said, referring to the carnival game. “I have to say, Christie got it in the tire the first try, although I did pay for his throws. I played a little Frog Bog, and Gov. Christie’s kids taught me the right technique.”
En route to Asbury, the pair also met with a number of local business owners, listening to their stories and congratulating them for persevering in the wake of what Christie called the worst storm in the history of the state.
President Barack Obama takes the stage after his introduction by Gov. Chris Christie outside Convention Hall on the Asbury Park boardwalk on May 28. PHOTOS BY STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Sam Chung, whose Korean taco stand, Mogo, was ripped away from the Asbury Park boardwalk during Sandy, said meeting Obama and Christie was a fitting end to a holiday weekend that saw his business reopen to record sales.
“You don’t know how much it means to us,” he said, referring to Mogo co-owner Jay Devino, who met the pair as well. “Just the fact that they came to Asbury Park and showed support for small businesses like ours — I’m still in shock about it.”
“We were able to tell our story,” he added. “Obama said he was really appreciative of what we were doing, and Christie said it was awesome. You could tell he really meant it; he actually cared.”
Audience members wait in the cold rain for President Barack Obama to take the stage. Several hundred people waited in a cold, seaside rain for hours prior to the president’s appearance outside Convention Hall, drying off seats with paper towels and dancing to stay warm.
In addressing the crowd, both Obama and Christie acknowledged that the Jersey Shore’s recovery is still a work in progress, and Christie said he made it clear to the president that the finish line is still a long way off.
“Seven months later, we know this: We have made great progress, but we still have so much more to do,” Christie said.
“[There are] so many of our citizens who just want their lives to go back to normal … And I am not going to let anything or anyone get in between me and the completion of the mission to restore and recover our great state.”
Obama agreed, vowing federal support for as long as it takes.
“We’re not done yet,” he said. “For somebody who hasn’t seen their home rebuilt yet or is still trying to get their business up and running again, after all those losses, we don’t want them to think that somehow we’ve checked a box and we’ve moved on. That’s part of the reason I came back: to let people know we’re going to keep on going until we finish.”
Attendees cheered during the president’s remarks, which included a few jokes and references to the song “Jersey Girl,” popularized by Bruce Springsteen.
“Down the Shore, everything is still all right,” Obama said to wild applause.
Following the speech, some residents said Obama’s appearance was a positive sign that he and the federal government would continue to provide aid to Sandy-impacted communities for the long term.
“For him to come to Asbury Park is great,” Manalapan resident Sammy Steinlight said. “Superstorm Sandy wasn’t a oneweek crisis. It’s going to take months and years for us to get back up. It seems like he understands that and, who knows, maybe he’ll be back here again when all of these repairs are finally complete.”
Others were less enthusiastic.
South River resident Susan Olsen said her community is still struggling with basic rebuilding and repairs, calling on the federal government to provide more resources and less talk. “It was a good speech, but that’s about it,” she said, explaining that dozens of the more than 200 homes damaged during Sandy in her town have yet to be re-inhabited.
“It really has to be about the homeowners right now. There are homes with mold damage, inside and out, that haven’t been seen yet because nobody has so much as turned a key in the door. People need help with furniture, repairs — just so many things.”
Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger, one of many officials from both sides of the aisle in attendance, said Obama and Christie’s joint appearance was a positive, because it could help spur tourism and kick-start local economies that have been suffering since the storm.
“That’s the most important thing,” he said. “The president and the governor have a national appeal. So it gets the word out that the Shore is back, and it encourages people from outside New Jersey to come and visit.”
Increased tourism may be of little help to towns like Sea Bright this year, however, where many businesses and beach clubs have yet to be rebuilt.
Following the president’s speech, Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long said the borough is working toward a better summer in 2014.
“It’s very important for the businesses who are open right now to have a good season,” she said. “[But] only half the town is back, half the businesses and half the residents. So next summer, realistically, would be better for us.”
For Chung, however, last week’s speech, combined with a record-breaking holiday weekend, bodes well for the coming months.
“It was incredible,” Chung said, explaining that Mogo sold 2,200 tacos on May 26 alone. “Having that many people on the Asbury Park boardwalk is just a sign of how far we have come and how bright the future is.”