Monmouth County Emergency Management Sandy Information

Sandy Information

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Information about the county's efforts related to Superstorm Sandy recovery are posted here.

The Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management continues recovery operations for this storm and its impact on the county.

A presentation "Has Mold Taken Hold?" will provide safety tips on cleaning mold. It will take place on May 22, 2013 at the Union Hose Fire Company, Union Beach.
A Monmouth County Long Term Recovery Group has been established to aid and assist residents affected by Sandy. Read more
An updated FEMA fact sheet is available here.
The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office has initiated a county-wide task force to help Hurricane Sandy victims who fall prey to unscrupulous contractors, con artists and other storm opportunists. Read the press release or go to www.sandyfraud.com for more information.

The phone number for the Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force is 855-SANDY39 or 855-726-3939.

Housing assistance is available to New Jersey survivors of Hurricane Sandy who have been displaced from their homes, who have little or no insurance, or whose homes have been rendered unsafe, unsanitary and not functional. Help includes temporary housing, and grants to repair and replace storm-damaged primary residences. FEMA offers rental assistance, transitional lodging in hotels and motels, and direct housing options. In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest, long-term rebuilding loans for eligible Hurricane Sandy survivors. Deadline: May 1 2013, for most programs.

Other Help for Individuals and Households FEMA provides grants to repair or replace essential disaster damaged or destroyed personal property, including furniture, clothing and automobiles, and provides assistance for transportation, medical and dental services, and funeral and burial costs to qualified survivors. In partnership with New Jersey, help for disaster survivors also includes legal assistance, crisis counseling and disaster unemployment assistance.

Survivors may register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Registration is available by phone or 711/VRS by calling 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585. For one-on-one assistance, visit a disaster recovery center and speak with a hazard mitigation specialist. Go online FEMA.Gov/DRC to find the nearest location.

The Public Assistance grant program helps state and local governments and some nonprofit organizations recover from Hurricane Sandy. In New Jersey, the program covers emergency work such as debris removal, and permanent work such as repair of public facilities and infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and their contents, and parks and recreation areas. Local governments are reimbursed by FEMA for a portion of the costs.

Mitigation Advice on repairing and rebuilding is offered at disaster recovery centers and at home improvement stores. FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation grant program provides funds to state government for measures that will reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards. Questions should be directed to local governments, which take the lead in identifying projects. New advisory maps showing the current hazards of flooding in New Jersey counties can help rebuild safer and smarter. See www.region2coastal.com/

Transitional sheltering assistance/referral information is available.
The Thompson Park donation center is no longer accepting donations. Please contact the Red Bank Salvation Army Corp. at 732-747-1626. They accept donations Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Salvation Army accepts:

Non-perishable foods
Toiletries
Cleaning supplies

There are clothing bins located behind the building that are available for donations twenty four hours a day.

FEMA's Disaster Recovery Centers are operating at:

Henry Hudson Trail Activity Center
Belmar Municipal Building
Union Beach Municipal Building
Long Branch Fire Station

Helpful Links:

FEMA infomation
State of New Jersey Sandy Information Center
Ready.nj.gov
NJ211 (local resources)
NJ 2-1-1 Resource Guide
FEMA fact list

Important storm tips

If your residence has been flooded, please read the press release about cleaning up.
If you sustained losses or damages from Hurricane Sandy you may be eligible for disaster assistance. Go to www.disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.
Please limit 9-1-1 calls to true emergencies. Call you local police department's non-emergency number. Your cooperation is appreciated.
The Fire Marshall reminds residents using generators to keep them 20 feet away from your home and other inhabitable structures for safety reasons.
If you need municipal information, read a listing of Municipal information (PDF format)

Trees
Report downed trees to your town. To find the phone number for your town hall, click here.

Electricity
Do not approach downed power lines.
You should report your power outage to directly to JCP&L.
Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877). Visit the JCP&L Power Center. and JCP&L Power Outage Map for updated information provided by the power company.

Flooding
Do not drive or walk into flooded areas; turn around, don’t drown.

Emergency Management reminds residents to be safe:

Do not go outside. Flying debris from high winds is a danger. As the eye of the storm passes, there will be a short period of calm followed by rapid wind speed increases to hurricane force that will come from the opposite direction.
Avoid using candles for lighting. Use a battery-powered flashlight.
Try to stay in an interior room away from windows.
If flooding occurs, turn off electricity at the main breaker.
If your power goes out, turn off your major appliances. This will minimize losing power again through a power surge and protect the equipment when power returns.
Stay calm and do not call 9-1-1 unless it is an emergency.
Please understand that emergency responders and utility personnel will not be out in the field during in the height of storm. It is not safe for them to be outdoors in extreme weather conditions

Here's what you can do to get ready for any storm:

Prepare - Get a Kit

Prepare a kit with children

Preparing makes sense for older americans

Preparing makes sense for pets

Plan - Create an emergency plan
You should contact the emergency management office in your local municipality if you have specific questions about storm preparations in your town. Contact information for all Monmouth County municipalities can be found on the Information Center web pages of the county web site or, click here.

Stay informed - Listen to local radio stations