Health & Fitness
State Approves Using Federal Rebuilding Funds for TV Ads
Tourism ads get federal recovery dollars as families struggle to rebuild
Last week the Economic Development Authority approved using $25 million of federal money from the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from HUD for tourism commercials. This is funding that was supposed to help New Jersey families and businesses rebuild after Superstorm Sandy.
The funding comes from federal money that is supposed to help people of New Jersey rebuild and instead we are spending it on TV ads. Many of the people still displaced after Superstorm Sandy will be watching these ads from televisions at friends houses or in shelters.
We need to promote tourism as we rebuild the Shore. However, this money is supposed to help rebuild our coast and we should get money from other sources for commercials. If we do not rebuild the coast what good are TV ads to encourage tourism in New Jersey?
Find out what's happening in Point Pleasantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This money should be used to help the people in New Jersey recover from Sandy. Currently there is no money for buyouts for people who live along the coast and who would like to sell or to help people elevate their homes. Instead there is funding to give incentives for people to stay in areas that have been devastated, up to $10,000. It seems that the administration is more concerned about people rebuilding even if they get flooded again and it costs us more money down the road.
There is no money or standards for renewable energy or green building for those who want to rebuild sustainably. We should be strengthening green building codes and improving energy efficiency. There are no standards or funding for including green or blue roofs or retrofitting stormwater basins.
Find out what's happening in Point Pleasantwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Action Plan submitted to secure Community Block grant funding mentions $21 billion in unmet need is required to rebuild or fix infrastructure on top of FEMA provided money but does not go on to lay out what that infrastructure is, where it is, or if it will be retrofitted for the future impacts of climate change. There is no funding mechanism identified for these important improvements.
Yet we are taking limited federal dollars that we are getting to help to rebuild after a disaster for TV advertisements. At a time when so many people are still hurting after Superstorm Sandy and people are still without homes to spend $25 million on tourism commercials is adding insult to injury.
