The Old Bridge Township Council is at odds on the effectiveness of municipal relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged much of the town on Oct. 29.
At a Jan. 7 council meeting, Democratic Councilman Robert Volkert told the council that the administration was wrong in saying they were providing effective relief to the township’s residents.
Volkert had spent the previous afternoon visiting residents of Laurence Harbor, the eastern section of the township that was hit with heavy floods from the swelling Raritan Bay during the superstorm.
“I spoke to residents and they claim that the township tells them to see FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] and FEMA tells them to see the township,” Volkert said.
While the administration had told him they were doing all they could to assist these residents, Volkert said he didn’t see any results.
Council President Brian Cahill disagreed, saying, “Volkert’s comments were purely political. All the ward elections are up this year and I think he’s in campaign mode. For him to sit there and say the township isn’t doing anything is absolutely incredulous.”
Mayor Owen Henry was on board with fellow Republican Cahill’s indignation, saying that Volkert’s comments were a “disservice” to the hard work the town has been doing to help its residents.
Since the storm, Henry has overseen a $341,000 project to stabilize Shoreland Circle, a roadway in Laurence Harbor that came close to collapse when Sandy eroded the slope that supported it. According to township Business Administrator Christopher Marion, the project was 65 percent complete as of Jan 7.
The mayor also worked closely with the Old Bridge Police Department to station an officer in Laurence Harbor around the clock after concerns were raised that people could easily loot uninhabited homes. About a dozen residents of the battered section of the township were in attendance at the council meeting, and did not hesitate to let their grievances be known.
Fran Conlon and her husband have been staying with relatives since the storm brought floodwaters through their home on Shoreline Avenue. The senior couple, both dependent on Social Security for their income, is still unsure whether rebuilding their home in its current condition is legal.
“When I called the township, they told me they were waiting for FEMA, it was FEMA’s fault,” she said, “I went to the FEMA office and they said it was the township’s responsibility. It’s the indecision of everything. Nobody knows exactly what to do.”
If rebuilding is permitted, the couple is unsure whether their fixed incomes will allow them to bring their home up to code with new regulations.
“I talked to a member of the zoning board. He said, according to FEMA code, I would have to raise the house 21 or 22 feet; the town said I could raise it 12 feet, but I can’t afford to do either,” Conlon said.
After telling her story, Conlon said that she had not gained any new direction by bringing her issue before the council.
“I think I’m still hanging because they’re telling me they don’t know anything. How can one town know what to do and another doesn’t? I’m still stuck in the middle and I don’t know what I can do,” she said.
According to Marion, new details will unfold and more direction will be provided after he and the mayor meet with FEMA later this week.