Manasquan: Secure Your Hurricane-Devastated Home Or We'll Secure It For You

Manasquan's message to seven homeowners who've yet to secure their heavily damaged properties: act soon or have the borough secure it for you and send you a bill.

Seven homes around the Manasquan oceanfront which saw walls and roofs collapse —their damaged interiors still flapping in the wind — have yet to secure the property since Hurricane Sandy. But the borough will require action from homeowners, on grounds these homes are so open and unsafe that they could cause someone harm.

With the beachfront to open in less than a month and the tourist season behind it, there is concern that someone could wander near the heavily damaged and partially collapsed houses and be hurt, Borough Administrator Joe DeIorio said.

While other properties have begun or completed steps to demolish or board up their damaged homes, seven homes appear to have taken no action at all since Hurricane Sandy, DeIorio said.

Each of the property owners have been contacted by certified letter, requiring a response in 10 days, he said. Most were reached by phone also explaining the process, DeIorio said.

If homeowners failed to secure their property, the borough would go ahead and secure it for them, and this is because the borough has a responsibility to keep residents walking nearby or even trespassing safe, DeIorio said.

It is a beachfront, and "with children possibly wandering around, we don't want anything to happen," he said. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

Should a property owner fail to act, and the borough takes action to board up or fence in the property, the property owner would receive a bill in the mail for the borough's work.

An unpaid bill could lead to the borough putting a lien on the property, Mayor George Dempsey Jr. said. 

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