Though immense devastation from Superstorm Sandy remains visible up and down the New Jersey coastline, beaches, boardwalks and even rental homes are ready for the annual influx of summer tourists that will begin this weekend, officials said Thursday at the annual "State of the Shore" event in Belmar. The State of the Shore report is presented by state officials and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium every year before Memorial Day weekend kicks off, but this year it evolved to mark the unofficial reopening of the Shore area following Sandy. With emergency repairs to state and local …

President Obama and Gov. Christie will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday, according to The Record in Bergen County. Herb Jackson of the Record and northjersey.com reports President Obama will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday with Gov. Christie. This will be Obama's first visit to the area since Oct. 31, just after the storm struck. More information can be found here.

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes…

Keansburg Amusement Park celebrated its reopening Saturday afternoon, inviting residents and visitors alike to take in the revitalized park as it continues its progress following Hurricane Sandy.  With the park about 85-percent complete, according to Bill Gehlhaus, who owns the park along with his brother Hank, visitors gathered in the unfinished building that will soon house the park's new bumper cars. Though some shutters remain closed along the park's promenade, many vendor stalls are open, offering visitors the chance to play arcade games, win prizes, and grab a bite to eat as the go from…

An interactive map produced by New Jersey Spotlight and published late last week provides a complete breakdown of every insurance claim paid in New Jersey since Hurricane Sandy by town, giving further insight into the totality of losses suffered during the late-October storm.   Information from color-coded map was compiled using the most recent data from the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI). Based on the most recent data, 921 claims were filed in Colts Neck, using the zip code 07722. A total of 696 have been paid for a total of $6,463,351. There were 168 claims that were …

It's hard to believe it has been six months since the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. In Marlboro and Colts Neck, the storm left residents cold and in the dark. We were exhausted, frustrated and both literally and figuratively out of gas. But as residents looked around at the destruction in our county, many didn't think twice about rolling up their sleeves. Directly after the storm, I was contacted by a resident trying to help friends transport their disabled daughter out of a cold, moldy house impacted greatly by Sandy. One article yielded 10 comments of area residents looking to help the …

There are two weeks left for survivors of Superstorm Sandy who suffered damage to their homes to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline is midnight, May 1, according to FEMA officials. This is also the deadline for residents to return applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans. Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585, and those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-…

Residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until May 1 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a prepared statement from the governor's office.  The deadline extension also applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance. Businesses applying for SBA Economic Injury loans still have until July 31 to apply. The loans are for businesses that did not suffer any physical damage, but lost revenue in Sandy's aftermath. State and federal …

If you're still having flashbacks to waiting in line for hours after Hurricane Sandy just to fill your tank, Marlboro Township has some good news. A new ordinance passed through Town Council gives gas stations in Marlboro three years to acquire a backup generator system, to avoid power loss and massive fuel outages during natural disasters. After Hurricane Sandy, the gas shortage hit close to home with one Marlboro Township family. In an effort to find gas, the Cano family's wheelchair accessible van broke down and had to be abandoned. With power out in the Cano house, temperatures dropped …

Sandy inflicted damage on 27 homes and rental units in Marlboro Township and three in Colts Neck, according to an analysis of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs data by NJSpotlight.com.  One Marlboro rental unit reportedly suffered minor damages from the historic storm, however 26 homes suffered "major" damage, defined as between $8,000 and $28,800 in storm costs. One home in Marlboro was considered severely damaged, with more than $28,800 in assessed damage. Damage under $8,000 was considered "minor." Severe damage--defined as over $28,800 in costs--was not reported to any Marlboro …

The students of Colts Neck High School are giving their sweat and time to the residents of Union Beach. Nearly 100 students visited Union Beach to clean debris left by Hurricane Sandy, as Colts Neck continues to partner with the township in their time of need. "I definitely wanted to do something to help after seeing all of the devastation in the area," said junior Danielle Eiger of CNHS in a news release.  According to a district news release, the Union Beach Sandy Relief Service Project was coordinated under the leadership of CNHS faculty and staff Todd Schaefer, Holly Lucarelli and Nestor …

After the biggest storm in Marlboro Township's recent history, the Department of Public Works is still hauling debris left by Hurricane Sandy off of its streets. Bob DiMarco, Superintendent of the Marlboro Department of Public Works, said the storm had the department working overtime until mid-January. "In January, we cut back to the eight-hour day and no Saturdays just to give our guys a break. Now we're back to 10-hour days, five days a week." DiMarco said in the height of the aftermath, DPW employees were working 10 hours per day, five days a week and adding eight hours every Saturday. Now…

With winter weather still moving through the region, NJ Transit has extended full systemwide cross-honoring through the end of the service day Friday, March 8, enabling NJ Transit customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, bus or light rail, as well as private carrier buses.  NJ Transit continues to monitor the storm and take steps to minimize delays and ensure service reliability and safety.  All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip. High winds reported …

The Marlboro fire departments, first aid squads and police have always dealt with several carbon monoxide alarm calls as soon as generators are been switched on. John Borden, Inspector/Fire Sub-Code Official in Marlboro said some residents are keeping generators in closed garages, which can lead to serious and deadly levels of carbon monoxide. A safety message from Marlboro Township:  GENERATORS MUST BE PLACED OUTSIDE, never inside or in the garage which can result in fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. Place in well-ventilated outdoor location away from house doors and windows. It is wise to…

New Jersey’s recovery following Hurricane Sandy will come, officials and legislators at Tuesday’s budget introduction at the Statehouse in Trenton said, just don’t expect the state to pay for it. In Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed $32.9 billion budget, only about $40 million has been set aside for Sandy-related recovery, all of it coming in the form of supplemental aid. Its intended use will only be as a stopgap during the process of the state’s securing aid for various recovery efforts. The negligible sum will have little impact on the state’s budget, according to New Jersey Treasurer Andrew …

Sometimes, a hot meal can mean everything. No one knows this better than the volunteers of Everybody's Kitchen, a kitchen on wheels that travels around the country providing hot meals to those who need it most. Recently, the loosely-organized group has been providing meals to Hurricane Sandy victims. According to volunteer Anne Mackell, the bus made stops in Sandy-ravaged towns soon after the storm hit and has come back again three months later to address a persistent need.  The completely volunteer-sustained Everybody's Kitchen, developed in the early 1990's, has spend the last two decades …

Towns all along New Jersey's coast were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Boardwalks were pulled back into the sea by surging waves, homes were knocked off of their foundations and residents left homeless. Despite the disaster, there's still hope. In Union Beach Saturday, and estimated crowd of about 1,000 people walked through the Sandy-ravaged town to show their support for recovery and each other. With little notice about the event other than a posting online, word of mouth spread throughout the week, resulting in a large and somewhat unexpected turnout. Many of those walking count themselves…

Time for a pint: Eighty-six and a half kegs of a special brew created by New Jersey's Flying Fish Brewery, dedicated to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts,will be poured out of local taps beginning this weekend. Called FU Sandy (the F U stands for Forever Unloved, of course), the hybrid white ale was made in part as a fundraiser for New Jersey storm relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy devastation. Flying Fish is hoping to raise $50,000 from the beer and merchandise sales. Flying Fish first announced FU Sandy on Dec. 20, and now the list of where the beer is on tap is finalized, with places such as…

When David Scott Ruddy was arrested in Woodbridge for allegedly flimflamming Hurricane Sandy victims out of $50,000 in FEMA funds, there was one person who not only knew who he was, but had been calling and warning officials about him for months. That was Kathleen Marchitto, who met Ruddy first at a shelter put up at an Old Bridge school, and then later when she and other hurricane victims were moved to the Red Cross shelter set up at Livingston College of Rutgers University in Piscataway. Marchitto, whose South River apartment was flooded during the October hurricane, was at the Livingston …

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing free advice on how to repair or rebuild your Hurricane Sandy-damaged home at several home improvement stores throughout the area. With an eye on rebuilding to mitigate future disaster damage, FEMA experts will be on hand to offer building techniques that can help protect homes, businesses and other properties.  Among the topics advice is being offered on are: •             Ridding a home of mold and mildew. •             Understanding flood- and wind-resistant building methods. •             Knowing the benefits of flood insurance…