That's why we all must join together to fight the erroneous flood zone maps, over-kill house-raising elevation requirements, exorbitant insurance premiums, and property tax increases that are coming. => StopFemaNow.com => Facebook.com/StopFemaNow. => Meeting Sat. March 9 from 3 to 4 PM at Silverton First Aid Squad, 86 Maine St. (like the state), Toms River.

My heart goes out to Kim and Jay, you are right to assume that there are many of us in the same boat. Who would have thought that after 4 months we would still be waiting for the money to rebuild our homes. At first we thought that it would only take about 3 months to get the house gutted and everything replaced but now we realize that it will take much much longer to receive insurance settlements and even then...the settlement won't cover replacing the many things lost. There seems to be a lot of confusion over whether we will have to raise our homes and how much that will cost. We take life one day at a time and have been living with my wifes sister out of a single bedroom. We celebrate every small step toward getting back into our home again. Hang in there may god bless you.

Dear Kim & Jay,
We all feel your pain. We are living it alongside you. Just TODAY, we received an email from the Selective Insurance adjusters asking if we sent them an itemized list of what we lost. What? Are they kidding? That was sent to them early December and confirmed by phone call when they said they received everything and were working on it. What game is this company playing and how are they getting away with treating people like this? They have been collecting our payments for 20+ years before Sandy flooded our home and here we are 4 months later still living on our second floor. We are all being victimized over and over again . . . By Sandy, by the insurance companies and banks, and then by our government. It is so depressing and infuriating at the same time. The way we all are being treated is an outrage!

If you haven't already contact the governor's office, tweet him at @GovChristie, call in NJ 101.5 on Ask the Governor. This won't change until we all band together.

Well said. We are in the same situation on the north side of Rt 37. 4 months and no end in site. We live in another town and return home frequently for forgotten items housed in a rental storage trailer. We have not received proceeds from Selective Ins and thank you FEMA for paying our rent since we still pay for the mortgage on the inhabitable home

I feel for you. I have to say that I am totally disgusted with our government. While watching the news yesterday I heard that we are giving $50 million to Sierra! But screw NJ and the others affected by Sandy. Why do we never take care of our own! We give assistance to othe counties but can't take care of our own citizens. It's a joke.
Hang I there.

I think all of Toms River should stop paying real estate taxes. Maybe that will light a fire under their asses. What can the do, put a lien against our houses. Go ahead and have dim with that Toms River.

If there is anything volunteers can do, please contact me www.sandynjwarriors.com. You are speaking for 1,000s of people with your story. So many people in the same boat! Hang in there! joan*

I am sincerely starting to flip out. I am appalled and insulted that Toms River hasn't been on the ground, since day 1! Where are those WE elected?? Other than Chief Mike M, I haven't see or heard of any support! We've been working and volunteering since November. I have yet to see a Mayor or any Official with any interest. Oh I'm lying, One Freeholder did stop by and drop off toothpaste and Nair! Just remember who wasn't there next election., THIS is when we needed them most and they all; seem to be missing and MUTE! grrrrr to the powers that be!

Join our fight against the new flood rates and height requirement! Visit www.StopFemaNow.com and we are on facebook!

And yet we gave $700+billion dollars to bail out AIG, how much to the banks to stop a financial collapse. We continue to send billions to foreign nations because otherwise our big oil collectives will lose the source of their record breaking profits.Nobody gives a damn about John Q. Public, but we are lemmings! We need to revolt now! Until they start helping we, the people, we need to say screw them all. Stop paying bills, start finding attorneys who will sue the hell out of these people, adding in millions of dollars for emotional distress to go along with the actual damages! Bankrupt theose who have left the people homeless and hopeless! Not just those who were effected, but everyone who cares about those poor people.

Ed Where is the outrage from our chosen leaders? An annual billion for Israel, a billion for Egypt, a billion for Jordan and now 60 million for Syrian rebels...all well and good BUT not before Americans at times like this. I live inland but it makes me wonder if State Farm is going to come through for me and my Federal Flood insurance coverage because of a creek near by. Put this stuff on State govt and our Congress reps emails and locals too.

It's amazing how the insurance companies are not there for these people and are hard to reach ,yet I bet they will be right up front when it comes time to collect the new premiums ! How can they be so horrible at what they do?

Sam, There are a few factors that may be involved in that equation. First what are they going to sell ? A half destroyed home , unfinished and that has to be raised up on pilings for a cost of up to $100,000 just to raise it, not including the cost of repairs? A home with the potential to the next homeowner, cost's of almost 30k for flood ins? Also what may be playing out here is that the Fed's put a halt on all forclosure proceeding in Sandy disaster zones until at least 5-1-13 and will most likely be extended. I don't know , but have heard from a few fellow people that the banks are working to keep people in their homes.

The insurance companies and FEMA are complicit , beyond a doubt. I agree with all the posters taking that position. But lets not forget another set of criminals in this equation...the mortgage companies. On properties that have mortgages, the insurance check whether it be from NFIP through FEMA or your own homeowners through whomever you insure with, they all make the checks payable to you AND your mortgage companies. Then the already long wait caused by the insurance companies is exacerbated by the mortgage companies. They , in most cases , will only make the full payout in thirds as the repairs progress and their inspectors check ever property. They claim they have an insurable interest in the property. Well they do, but they dont have to take as long as they do to pay out. What they are doing is depositing the money into interest bearing accounts. Imagine hundreds of thousands , even millions of dollars in money bearing interest. Guess who keeps the interest money? That's your money, its interest on your money, but they keep it. I wrote to Walt Kane from NJ News 12 about this. He posted my comments last week on the evening news show. The State should investigate these mortgage companies and prohibit them from doing business in New Jersey if they find delaying tactics are afoot. The State should also force them to return all interest earned on the deposited funds.

I have a house in Ortley Beach and we are in the same boat. My neighbors and I had insurance coverage of $250,000 and some of them are only getting $ 27,000!! Unless you do all the work yourself and pay some out of pocket, it is impossible to rebuild with that. Not to say, why do we cover our homes for so much and then cannot collect? Now the mortgage company is holding our money hostage. They gave us a ton of paperwork to fill out and only will pay in 3 drawers, which means contractors have to wait for money. The latest gimmick is you cannot get a permit if you do not sign a legal document guaranteeing you will raise your house with in 4 years. Seriously? Even if you own your house and have no mortgage they expect you to follow their rules! This is America...they cannot force us to raise our homes if we cannot afford to or choose not to. The politicians keep promising a summer at the shore....yeah, maybe in Wildwood, not in Ortley Beach. TR is to blame for this mess and it will continue until we get these politicians out of office and TR lets Ortley Beach secede. Christie needs to come back to town and have a sit down with some very annoyed, frustrated homeowners who are getting no where fast.

Seems like the stop fema now should also poll members to start a class action suit against the insurance companies, and the mortgage companies for interest on funds and delaying tactics. Perhaps then the state will do their job to police these practices and move rebuilding the shore forward. I'm sure that there is a law firm who would be willing to take this one on its a no brainer really.

I saw the toms river mayor the other night on Kane in your corner.....is this guy asleep at the wheel or what?

Iam not raising my house and if they won't give me a permit fuck them I pay the fine

I feel that the FEADS. &toms river are sleeping together they can not blackmail us!!!!!!!!! This is blackmail. Make shore everybody shows up we need your spport.

This whole situation is horrible. will it ever end? Can't take much more. Not just me, or my son, daughter or in laws, know alot more out there going thru the same crap. our house in t.r. almost done, praying we dont get flooded again, we rent that house to our son and gf who have been with us since sandy, my daughter and granddaughter still cannot get back into their condo and my poor in laws lost all in ss hts. they are walking. sad...........so sad

All insurance companies is a scam. They take your money and then uses excuses on why they should not have to pay you? I bought a $10,000 life insurance on my mother just for burial and they weaseled out of paying me the money being it was a couple months short of three years. If it was three years no questioned asked, under three years they will pick the policy apart and make up anything not to pay. They claimed I withheld information on illnesses which was a down right lie...I told them everything I knew...open heart surgery, minor stroke...Out of all the questions I honestly did not honestly know the answer to one question, I told the agent that and told him to ask the doctor being I am not one. Well the agent quit and needless to say he marked the question a NO instead of Yes and they would not pay..I made a complaint to the State Banking and Insurance, they did nothing and sided with the insurance company...There is no protection for the consumers and its all a bunch of bull. I feel really bad for all these people who was flooded and having all these problems with their insurance companies. People don't need all this added pressure on top of losing their personal belongs& house. Their lives have been turned upside down. I could not believe how cold hearted the insurance company was when I loss my mother, they really did not care. I went into depression because of what was going on in my life and what they did to me.

I agree Michelle,
The politicians keep promising a summer at the shore....yeah, maybe in Wildwood,
"not in Ortley Beach". TR is to blame for this mess and it will continue until we get these politicians out of office and TR lets Ortley Beach secede. Christie needs to come back to town and have a sit down with some very annoyed, frustrated homeowners who are getting no where fast.

hang in guys..something has to be done..the new zones are crazy and forcing so many to raise homes and pay that expense themselves or buy 2000$ flood ins...impossible

Don't merely hang in there. Do something constructive. Join our fight against the irrational and astronomical costs FEMA is trying to impose on NJ to bail it out of its Katrina debt.

Come to the StopFemaNow.com meeting Sat. March 9th, 3-4PM, Silverton First Aid Squad, 86 Maine St., Toms River. All towns welcome. Let's make our voice heard from Trenton to Washington. Fix the misguided 2012 Biggert-Waters Act that empowers FEMA to destroy the Shore.

Martin, I wish I would have seen this earlier, please let me know if there are any other meetings, my email is kim.purcell@comcast.net..thank you

Know that you are not alone. Not just you and your Gilford Park Neighbors either. Silverton TR is with you, Snug Harbour is with you, Brick is with you and the rest of the Jersey Shore and NY will be with you shortly.

We will fight this TOGETHER.

www.facebook.com/StopFemaNow