Jaime B
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On the article With Funding Scarce, Few in Brick Apply to Raise Houses
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On the article In Brick, Fear Over Rebuilding Costs Follows Flood Map Adoption
Jaime B
9:34 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thanks, Art! Going to head down there this week, for sure.
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On the article In Brick, Fear Over Rebuilding Costs Follows Flood Map Adoption
Jaime B
9:32 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Ok - I will reach out to Rehabco & go down to the town hall, as suggested. I just do not want to miss the opportunity, as it will be the determining factor with regard to whether or not I can afford to stay in my house. Lots of questions, A LOT of misinformation of there, and it is difficult to navigate through all of these new rules/regulations without having a panic attack. I thought living through the storm in our house was the most stressful event I have ever experienced in my life. Now, with all of the rebuild and new regs, looking back, the hurricane was a piece of cake. This is a full time job in itself!
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On the article In Brick, Fear Over Rebuilding Costs Follows Flood Map Adoption
Jaime B
9:08 am on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
ReplyJust wondering if there is a place to sign up for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding as well as Hazard Mitigation Grant (HMG) funding? I know other towns have a place to do this online, but I have not seen this for Brick. Just want to make sure we do not miss the deadline or anything like that since it is much needed funding, especially for people that do not qualify for ICC grants.
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On the article New Jersey to Adopt FEMA's Flood Elevation Maps, Christie Says
Jaime B
8:13 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
ReplyIs there anywhere we can find out what the flood insurance rates will be once we are in compliance? I keep seeing loose figures being thrown around, but that is critical information needed in order to decide if elevating our homes will even be worth it. I am afraid to even ask an insurance agent! I have googled and searched, but it looks like that is top secret info. We have suffered enough with going through Sandy...now, they are taking away our livelihood. You are trying to live the American Dream, but then you get the Biggerts-Water Act shoved down your throats with no other option. Pay the insane premium, or pay to elevate a house where you are not even sure if you can afford the "new" premium - or the $$ to elevate a house. I have said it before...this is EXTORTION. Give us at least an option to get out of our houses that we can no longer afford because of a law that was changed AFTER you purchased it, when the rules were different. This is not a car where you can no longer afford the payment and it gets repossessed. A hit on your credit from a forced foreclosure follows you for life. We will be a state of bums between all of the foreclosures, and the people who can't pay the higher taxes on their existing property because of the loss of ratables from the foreclosed houses. SIckening.
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On the article 'Homeless in Seaside Park' Frustrated With Red Tape
Jaime B
1:45 pm on Monday, January 21, 2013
ReplyGreat letter...it is just amazing to me (but not really) how victims of this natural disaster are being treated by all parties involved. You just feel like there is nowhere left to turn - it is a system set up for failure.
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On the article For Brick Residents, A Post-Sandy Primer
Jaime B
11:20 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
ReplyWell, I don't know how we are going to be able to afford to live here anymore if this is going to be the rule. If they were looking for a shakedown to drum up funds, how will they get paid when homeowners will be forced to walk away, and the house is foreclosed on? No one gets paid then, and no one would want to even live here if they had to pay that much extra a month in a flood insurance premium. In order to make it affordable, you would have to elevate the houses. It won't be on our backs...that's for sure, if I am going to be charged a minimum of $5k per year for flood insurance WITH the elevation. $5k x 28 years (what is left on our mortgage) = $140k. $140k + my mortgage + cost to elevate = highway robbery for a modest ranch like this. You can take that money and get more house/land out of the flood zone (which is a moving target, it seems), or out of state where taxes are lower and you do not need a permit to go to the bathroom. It would make sense for us to walk away, financially, if these are the new mandates and this is the projected outcome.
I cannot imagine that we are the only ones in this same situation...THIS IS EXTORTION.
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On the article For Brick Residents, A Post-Sandy Primer
Jaime B
9:48 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013
ReplyI live in the Baywood section of Brick. Our neighborhood flooded, and it came all the way up to our subfloor, which sits at 5'1" above the ground elevation. So, in theory, the flooding was 5' on our block. The whole reason why our neighborhood flooded was due to the breaches by Mantoloking, which would have been prevented if only we had some protection through dunes/beach replenishment. If only the homeowners would have signed the easements to allow for the project to be performed, we would not have had the devastation in our neighborhood. Oh, and they said the new ABFE would have been 9' and the data was collected prior to Sandy. So, tell me how the data was collected and how it was determined that a new level of 9 feet would be mandatory when this was a once in 100, or even 500, year storm and we had flooding of 5 feet without having the dune/beach replenishment protection? Sounds like a true shakedown to me, and yes - all because FEMA is in the red. That is why they passed the bill in July 2012 so they could charge unsuspecting homeowners insane premiums. What a shame...losing faith in anyone and everyone.
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On the article For Brick Residents, A Post-Sandy Primer
Jaime B
12:34 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013
ReplyIf we get that HMGP for Brick, is their a process for homeowners to apply for a piece of it? With all of us going through this for the first time, I hope the township provides some sort of guidance on how we can have access to this type of funding to help cushion the blow of having to raise our houses or get huge insurance premiums. It could make a difference with respect to people being able to live here.
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On the article For Brick Residents, A Post-Sandy Primer
Jaime B
8:36 am on Monday, January 14, 2013
ReplyWill FEMA be offering grants to all of us, like they did for Katrina folks, to raise our houses? Or are they so in the red that they can't? Maybe the township should fight for THAT for their citizens...would be in their best interest if they want to keep property values up, the local economy in tact, and more importantly for them...tax revenues coming in? Like people have said - this is not just for people living in the flood zones. This is for every resident of Brick who pays taxes and wants to maintain the value of their home. With all of the potential for lost tax revenue, who do you think they will look to to make it up? Even heard this from the mayor himself...concerned about the loss of tax revenue from the barrier island homes, while we were fighting with JCP&L and the township just to get our power turned back on (meetings at Hibbard Park).
Jaime B
8:22 am on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
This way of means testing is absolutely ridiculous...people are not going to file the paperwork to elevate their homes when many are waiting for the (hopefully) revised FEMA flood maps to see if it changes what they will need to do, as well as making sure they have funding to get the project done. That is common sense. Also, if I recall right, the state is supposed to come out with some sort of communication plan about how homeowners can apply for the funds once their block grant plan is approved. Also, it is petty for the mayor to make the statement that we are not getting help because this is a "Republican County." Sure - there are things that are party related but the grant funding will flow down through the state - and the plan is not approved yet. Last I checked, we not only had Democratic congressmen but also Republicans - those are the ones in the House - right? And we have a Republican governor, yes? Is this based on other counties that are Democratic and they are getting preferential treatment over republican counties for this type of assistance?