Rep. Chris Smith, Howell Mayor Bill Gotto and Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro (from left) examine the location in the Moors Landing development where houses that were heavily damaged by superstorm Sandy once stood. Federal funding is being used to demolish homes that were deemed to be unlivable following the October 2012 storm. JO SMITH SCHLOEDER When superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey in October 2012, several residents of one development in Howell saw their homes flooded to the point where the residences could not be salvaged.
Two years after Sandy struck, Mayor Bill Gotto, Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro, and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) toured the Moors Landing development and discussed the homes that could not be repaired.
Moors Landing is off Strickland Road and the homes were flooded by the overflowing Manasquan River.
“By demolishing the homes, the open space left afterward will not be allowed to be built on again in the future,” Gotto said.
On Oct. 29 — two years to the day that Sandy blew through the Garden State — Smith joined Gotto and Nicastro at Moors Landing to view the location of four homes that have been demolished and one more home that has been slated for demolition.
Seven homes in Moors Landing were badly damaged by two storms — Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Sandy in 2012, according to municipal officials.
The homes that have been and will be demolished are in a cul-de-sac at the end of Mariners Cove and are bounded by the Manasquan River. A flood drain is supposed to keep water from flowing into the street and onto properties.
“The damage to the communities was immense and on a scale not seen before; towns across the state were ravaged, homes were destroyed, thousands of people were displaced, and many residents were left reeling from the aftermath,” Smith said. In November 2013, the Township Council unanimously adopted an ordinance that allowed the municipality to purchase and demolish properties deemed unlivable by the Federal Emergency Manage ment Agency (FEMA). The cost was $614,250.
In February 2014, FEMA announced Howell was eligible for $1.2 million in federal funding to pay for the removal of debris caused by Sandy, according to a press release.
That funding is in addition to $1.6 million FEMA had previously awarded to Howell, bringing the total reimbursement to $2.8 million (about 93 percent).
In total, the township incurred $3 million in cleanup costs as a result of Sandy.
This past summer, Smith appealed to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to approve a 90 percent federal share for FEMA funding to go to towns such as Howell for cleanup costs, instead of the planned 75 percent reimbursement, according to the press release.
“It has been a tough process to get this moving so we can make this area open space and put what Sandy has done in the past,” Smith said.
Areas of Moors Landing have had issues with flooding dating back to the development’s construction more than 25 years ago.
“The destruction these homeowners had to endure to their properties was absolutely devastating. I remember coming here after the storm hit, and I knew we had to do something to help,” Smith said.
In 2013, seven homeowners were offered payment for their residences and five accepted the offer, according to Nicastro, who said they have since moved.
Smith said, “The Township Council was really on top of this entire process, and working with them on this issue has been a pleasure. They really spearheaded it and made this possible.”