Some Houses in Ten Feet of Water in Manasquan

The following is from the Borough of Manasquan: 

Answers to Recent Questions

Access to the Restricted Area

Safety is first and foremost the concern we must address before allowing access into the restricted area.

The area between the bridges and beach still remains in effect.  We are 75% complete with sand removal.  However gas leaks still exist and continues to be addressed by the utility every day. The Borough has deployed more than a dozen large trucks to plow and pick up sand.  They are on an aggressive schedule to complete the remaining sand; however, there are still some areas with 10 feet or more of sand.  THE AREA CONTINUES TO BE UNSAFE, especially for the public.  Any additional pedestrian or vehicular traffic will hamper our efforts for a speedy removal and will harm to others.  While we understand the concern for resident access for belongings or water damage to property, the consequence, under these conditions stated previously, could result in unnecessary harm or death.

DID YOU KNOW? – Sand acts like a filter.  Sand covering gas lines prevents individuals from smelling the odor of gas.  Natural gas is actually odorless and contains an additive that creates a smell (or scent) to alert you that a leak exists.  As a gas leak works its way up to the air through mounds of sand, it becomes odorless.  This is why the area that has up to 10 feet or more of sand on the street must be removed first, and then re-inspected for the smell of gas leaks.

What is the spray painted line mean on my property I see from the photo?  What does the color mean?
The Borough has teams of review inspections being done simultaneously.  To avoid overlap, a stripe is painted on the home.  The colors mean nothing other than one of our team had reviewed your home

How did you address pets in the restricted area?
The Borough organized a pet rescue and recovery with the Humane Society.  We have been successful in retrieving and identifying lost pets.

Water Damage
Homes in the restricted area could expect at least 2 to feet to 10 feet of water in your homes dependent on the location and home.  Beachfront and First Avenue homes and in some cases beyond, should expect considerable sand also.

What is the status of the limited travel area between the railroad tracks and the bridges?
Starting Friday, November 2, 2012, at 9am the limited access areas will lifted and open for general traffic.  However, please be advised that there are roads with downed trees that are impassible.

What do I do about my debris?  What about Garbage pickup?
Please place any debris behind the curb and not in the street.  We need the street area unblocked for parking and traffic.

Electricity
The return of electrical power is up to 10 days, possibly more.  If you have any appliances turned on before the power went out, please unplug or turn them off.  Use washer and dryers sparingly for the first few days when power returns.  Once electrical power is retuned, the initial surge could cause possible outages.

Water and Sewer
Water supply continues to work and is safe to drink.  South Monmouth Regional Sewage authority has indicated that it is fully operational for the treatment of sewer.

Curfew
Curfew is still in effect for Monmouth County.

Will the Disaster Recovery Information Center be opened this weekend?
Yes.  The Center will be open from 9am to 7pm Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Volunteering and Donations
You can sign up to volunteer at the Disaster Recovery Center Information line at 732-223-0544 x238.  We are making lists and when a particular need arises we will contact you.  We thank for the many offers for donations.  Additionally we have been offered financial donations.  At this time we do not have an authorized means to contribute.  Please continue to be patient. We will announce when such opportunities exists in the near future

Internet Service
Thank you for the overwhelming response for internet access information.  This evening we have located a site 2 blocks from town hall that we will have access until the return of internet service.

Property Tax and Water Bill Due Dates
Property taxes are scheduled due for November 1st with a grace period extended for an additional ten days.  This schedule is mandated by State Law.  We have contacted the State to request guidance on further extensions.  With the expectation that other municipalities are asking for the same, we expect a response from the State.  The extension of water and sewer bills is under consideration but not approved at this time.  Should any of these change we will post it here; however, as of the date of this post, please follow the existing due dates.