Guadagno Visits Mariners Cove, Touts FEMA Efforts With More Work Ahead

On Wednesday morning residents of Mariners Cove were given some assurances that more help was on the way by Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. She was joined on the tour by a representative from FEMA as well as members of the township council.

The development was hit not only by Hurricane , but also a rain the week before that left several houses severely damaged as a result. Guadango, a former Monmouth County Sherriff said that as a resident of Monmouth Beach she expects the possibility of flooding with a big storm, but that is not expected in more of an inland town like Howell.

Walking through some of the hardest hit houses in the development Guadagno saw the impact the storm had several weeks after it hit. That included drywall ripped out, furniture thrown out and the smell of mold in the air. Talking to residents who had lost almost everything, she talked to them about what their experiences were during the storm and what life has been like since then. 

The work that was done in the wake of the storm was handled not only by the residents themselves, but also by local who gave their time to fill up several dumpsters worth of garbage from the houses. 

Earlier in the day, the Lt. Governor announced that federal disaster assistance to the state had surpassed $100 million. A press release from the governor's office said that of the $116 million, $104 million went to housing and similar needs while $12 came from the Small Business Administration.

Mayor Robert Walsh said he was glad that Guadagno had come and that the process of helping residents of the township was moving forward. "We're doing everything we can with the state and the county's help and FEMA's," he said. "Hopefully the residents of Howell Township will get what they deserve which is as much help as possible."

Wednesday's visit was just another step in the process of helping the residents of Mariners Cove and the rest of the township, Walsh said. Over the next three weeks the administration will meet with various federal agencies to see what else can be done in the aftermath of the storm. "We know that many people would like to be bought out of here in Mariners Cove. We're trying to work towards that goal, he said.

Walsh also said he was unsure of how or when that would happen at this point. "I don't know whether that's a possibility yet, but we are trying as a governing body here in Howell to meet the wants and needs of the people of Howell Township. If that's what they want, that's what I'll go for." 

During the Mariners Cove tour Guadagno praised the efforts of people on the state, local and federal level for getting help to the residents of the township. "State and federal emergency management officials have been working tirelessly to deliver aid to the families of our state who have been impacted by Hurricane Irene," she said. 

Joining Guadagno on her tour was Bill Vogel who is serving as the coordinating officer for the Office of Emergency Management of FEMA as well as Lt. Paul Miller, the coordinator of the state's OEM. The residents of the neighborhood as well as other parts of the town were among 3800 residents across the county to apply for federal aid. 

Vogel said efforts are continuing to get residents to register for federal relief so they can receive the aid they need. "Assisting the recovery from a disaster the magnitude of Hurricane Irene takes teamwork and dedication," he said. "The amount of assistance that's been provided to date reflects those commitments among our state and local partners."

In the wake of the storm, Vogel said he has been impressed to see how well agencies at various levels have worked together on a project of this scope. "The entire governmental agencies at every level local and state have been fantastic in their ability to prepare for, respond to, recover from and now we'll continue to do everything we can to mitigate so that these things don't affect people in the future," he said.

With all the rain the area received in the past few months, Vogel said towns like Howell have faced different challenges than they may have in the past. "Unfortunately many of the main stem rivers in the center of the state have flooded in the past," he said.

One of the biggest helps after the storm he said, was the local response. "Fortunately the local emergency management agencies were there guiding those people who provided those emergency services to people who needed to be provided for," he said. 

Whether it was residents who were hit hard by the storm or those who lucky enough to escape with little or no damage, Vogel said a lot of valuable lessons have been learned. "I think the lesson that we learned is that we need to be prepared all the time and we need to have a family emergency plan," he said. "I think the biggest thing that we all learned after one of these events is we need to brush off those plans we've got, make sure they're viable and make any improvements to them so that we're ready in the event that we have another event."

The deadline to register for aid is Oct. 31, leaving 31 days for people to fill out the proper applications. There are several ways to apply including going to their website or call 1-800-621-3261.