Sea Bright residents struggle to get funds to rebuild

By Neil Schulman
Sea Bright — Many people who lost homes and businesses due to damage from Superstorm Sandy have been told that they will eventually be reimbursed – but they need the money to do work now.

Much of the Sea Bright Borough Council’s regular meeting – held at Maple Place School in Oceanport instead of borough hall – involved discussions about getting aid to rebuild, and the obstacles to it. The borough is working on several issues. It has obtained a disaster recovery expert, and trying to find help for residents who need it.
Many say getting the resources to rebuild is difficult.
“How many of you have received any sort of insurance payment outside a very small advance?” asked borough resident Elizabeth May.
She said that insurance companies are saying they need to “mitigate” more, and the check may wind up going to the mortgage company, which won’t reimburse the homeowners until repairs are done.
“We want to rebuild our houses, but there’s every road block,” she said.
“What you’re facing is similar to just about every other homeowner – including myself,” said Mayor Dina Long. Because of that, the borough has gotten an expert to help residents get the most from their insurance companies.
Charles Vickery, a Disaster Recovery Expert, has been acquired with the help of Rumson for Sea Bright and the Community Foundation of New Jersey. He will be available to help any borough resident or business with questions they have regarding insurance, FEMA and dealing with the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
There is no cost for using his services. Residents who need help or have questions are asked to contact him for an appointment prior to Dec. 27. He can be reached at cevffs@gmail.com or 561-213-3792.
While other funds may be available, there is, unfortunately, a lot of waiting involved, Long said.
While FEMA is eventually going to be paying for some of the recovery efforts, the check isn’t issued directly to the town, but first to the state, which then distributes it, Long said. Sea Bright is currently waiting for the state to receive the money and determine how it will be sent out.
Long said that Sea Bright was currently in a “really uncomfortable waiting period.”
When the borough has more information to give to residents, it intends to hold a town meeting. At the moment, though, there are too many questions.
“We also don’t have all the answers people are looking for either,” Long said.