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March 05 (The Record, Bergen County, NJ) -- Thousands of Jersey Shore owners whose homes were flooded by superstorm Sandy are now facing the most crucial decision yet: raise, sell or raze.
Is it cheaper
to elevate or demolish? How long a wait will there be for insurance and grant
money? Can the emotional attachment to homes -- some of which have played host
to generations of family members -- be broken? Add to that a need to learn what
a "base flood elevation level"
is, become knowledgeable about local building codes, and
then find the cash to make it all happen.
Making the
call is proving to be stressful at the least, and, in some cases, paralyzing
for owners.
"It's a
very, very difficult time to make those kinds of decisions because the trauma
has been so fresh and recent,"
said Adriana Fitzsimmons, consultation liaison director
of psychiatry at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune Township.
"That kind of trauma, life-threatening experience
and all that loss puts them in situations where they're more likely to be
emotionally unstable."
After coping
with the initial shock of the damage to their properties, owners have
experienced peaks and valleys of anxiety as they've tackled debris removal and
cleanup in the months after the October superstorm, said Eric Rice, a disaster
response crisis counselor who is the Monmouth County team leader for the Mental
Health Association in New Jersey's Hope and Healing Project.
With so many
choices, homeowners are overwhelmed and having difficulty moving forward.
"Right
now, they're just burned out," Rice said. "People are just
emotionally and physically tired and they're so worn down that they can't think
clearly anymore."
Rules fuel
frustration
What has
hindered decisions is the governor's recent adoption of FEMA advisory base
flood elevation maps that will require many residents to build higher. If
owners don't comply, they face spikes in flood insurance premiums.
While FEMA
plans to issue finalized maps in the coming years, some homeowners are worried
that elevation levels will change and their efforts will be for naught. In
addition, towns that have adopted flood elevations that exceed FEMA's
recommendations -- to be on the safe side
-- and people are further confused.
"We are
slammed right now with estimates, but people are afraid to move forward because
there aren't a lot of answers,"
said Patrick Barton, a principal of Crystal Springs
Construction, which specializes in lifting homes. "We have a lot of verbal
commitments of people who want us to do the work, but either the town hasn't
issued permits or they haven't established the height [restrictions] or people
haven't gotten their insurance money or they received money that's a third of
what it should have been."
The company
has performed at least 150 house-raising estimates, he said.
Unfortunately,
Barton said, he believes many frustrated owners will opt to sell their
properties. One out of every four property owners for whom he has provided
estimates has asked whether he's interested in buying the home, he said.
John McHugh, a
broker with Re/Max Bay Point Realtors in Point Pleasant Beach, said he hasn't
seen an overwhelming number of homes in Monmouth and Ocean counties -- the
hardest-hit areas in the state -- go on the market. But he expects that number
to grow.
For most
owners though, it's still too early to make that call, he said.
"They
haven't fully exhausted the insurance process and other money may be out
there," McHugh said. "And they're also sitting on their hands a
little bit because of the advisory maps."
Decisions on
hold
Gina
McDonnell, an Oakland resident whose Seaside Heights summer home was flooded
throughout, remains in a holding pattern while she learns whether she will
receive added benefits through the National Flood Insurance Program. She and
her husband, Dan, could receive up to
$30,000 of Increased Cost of Compliance funds to elevate,
relocate or demolish their ranch-style home, which is intended to reduce future
storm risk.
The couple
qualifies for the funds because their structure sustained damages of more than
50 percent of the value of their home.
But if they accept the funds, they must commit to lifting
the house within four years.
They are also
applying for funds through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Towns
apply for the funds by listing potential projects, such as building a seawall
or raising homes in a particular neighborhood, and the state distributes the
funds, said Chris McKniff, a FEMA spokesman.
And the McDonnells are waiting for their
flood insurance reimbursement check to clear before moving forward.
FEMA's flood
maps show the McDonnells' home is in a zone requiring their house to be 8 feet
above the mean high tide line, according to Seaside Heights construction
officials.
An engineer
must determine the height of their structure and how much it would have to be
lifted, she said.
McDonnell has
compared the $30,000 cost of raising her house to the
$12,000 annual flood insurance tab she could eventually
face if she does nothing.
She still
needs to figure out what types of repairs the grants would cover, if approved.
For example, she wonders whether the funds to elevate the house would include
replacement of her front porch.
"If you don't get compliant and are way
below, then you're at risk if you ever want to sell," she said.
"Who's going to want to buy a house where the flood insurance is going to
be so much more?"
Another option
would be to knock down the Sumner Avenue house and build an elevated modular
home, but those costs run about $85,000, she said.
One choice
she's ruled out? Selling the property, McDonnell said.
But
deciphering the best choice is becoming extremely stressful, especially as
summer approaches and the couple want to use their house, she said. The
McDonnells haven't yet progressed with any repairs to their ranch-style home
other than ripping out the floors and removing waterlogged items.
"This is
work," she said. "You're on the phone and researching things on the
computer and it's a lot more involved than people think.
It's not a simple answer because sometimes you have to
wait to find out something else before you take the next step."
McDonnell also
marveled at how different Seaside Heights'
landscape will look with all of the altered homes.
The views in
Union Beach, a working-class town in Monmouth County that was battered by the
storm, have already changed.
Where four Front Street homes owned by Constantine Zois
once stood, there are now vacant lots.
One of them,
known as the Princess Cottage, was an 1855 brick home that Zois' son lived in
year-round, and he and his sister frequented during the summer. The yellow
colonial -- which was the oldest home in town and had survived countless
nor'easters and storms -- was sheared in half by Sandy. It was later demolished
after Zois and his sister investigated saving the home but learned it could not
be salvaged.
They hope to
build a home similar in design, Zois said. But it depends on whether they can
find funds because they didn't carry flood insurance on the property.
"In a way
it was a symbol of the entire town of Union Beach," Zois saidadding that
he had fond childhood memories of seeing it first thing when his family would
visit their summer home.
With the other
three empty lots, he plans to use flood insurance reimbursements to pay off his
mortgages and possibly sell the properties.
As for the
lone house still standing, he's waiting to see how much insurance money he'll
receive.
"If they
give me a sufficient amount of money, I can rebuild," he said. "I'm
still leaning in that direction if I can get satisfaction from my insurance
company."
While he's
received emergency funds of $20,000 for each of his five homes, he can't take
the next step without knowing how much he'll eventually be reimbursed.
"The
whole thing has been stressful and with four months gone, I still haven't
gotten any sizable amount of money except the emergency funds," he said.
Email: sudol@northjersey.com
Sidebar:
Relieving the
anxiety
Techniques for
managing stress and anxiety stemming from storms and
flooding:
* Limit your
exposure to graphic news stories.
* Get
accurate, timely information from credible sources.
* Seek out and
follow expert advice.
* Educate
yourself about the specific hazards.
* Try to
maintain your normal daily routine.
* Exercise,
eat well and rest.
* Stay busy - physically and mentally.
* Communicate
with friends, family and supporters.
* Use
spirituality and your personal beliefs.
* Keep a sense
of humor.
* Talk and
share your feelings with others.
Source: State
Department of Human Services
Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
About
Coastal Modular Group is a collective of New Jersey’s premier modular home builders, designers, engineers, architects and contract professionals. The collective was formed by local New Jersey builders, engineers, architects and designers to ensure that our New Jersey neighbors receive the best possible direction, service and support in light of the damage incurred after Hurricane Sandy.
Collectively, our team has built hundreds of custom modular homes along the New Jersey Shoreline and that same team consists of lifelong local New Jersey Residents committed to the rebuilding effort and more importantly the people and families that were affected. The majority of home building the collective has done is in Monmouth and Ocean County New Jersey.
Coastal Modular Group is a collective of New Jersey’s premier modular home builders, designers, engineers, architects and contract professionals. The collective was formed by local New Jersey builders, engineers, architects and designers to ensure that our New Jersey neighbors receive the best possible direction, service and support in light of the damage incurred after Hurricane Sandy.
Collectively, our team has built hundreds of custom modular homes along the New Jersey Shoreline and that same team consists of lifelong local New Jersey Residents committed to the rebuilding effort and more importantly the people and families that were affected. The majority of home building the collective has done is in Monmouth and Ocean County New Jersey.
Coastal Modular Group - Engineering
If you were affected by or have any questions related to Superstorm Sandy, please give us a call. We are informed and eager to help. Coastal Modular Group is located at the Jersey Shore; waterfront designs are one of the mainstays of our business. We have the experience required for site design in shore areas. We are prepared to assist with the following related services:
If you were affected by or have any questions related to Superstorm Sandy, please give us a call. We are informed and eager to help. Coastal Modular Group is located at the Jersey Shore; waterfront designs are one of the mainstays of our business. We have the experience required for site design in shore areas. We are prepared to assist with the following related services:
- Structural inspections of buildings and foundations of any use
- Structural inspections of bulkheads and similar waterfront structures
- Structural engineering designs for reconstruction or new construction, such as:
- Foundations designs
- Helical pile designs
- Timber pile designs
- Breakaway wall designs
- Foundation scour protection
- Land use permitting for reconstruction or new construction, including:
- NJDEP
- Local zoning
- Local construction department
- Surveying services (including flood elevation certificates)
- Compliance with FEMA guidelines
- Peer review
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