September 10, 2015 - Christie Administration Highlights New Jerseyans Who Successfully Rebuilt from Sandy with Help of State Recovery Programs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 10, 2015
"Spotlight on Recovery" Congratulates Residents for Rebuilding, Taking Pride in Their Homes and Communities
Trenton, NJ – New Jersey residents who successfully recovered from Superstorm Sandy with the help of State-administered disaster assistance programs are the focus of a new ‘Spotlight on Recovery’ feature series launched by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which administers most of the State’s Sandy housing recovery assistance programs, including the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program.
"These residents were driven from their homes by the worst natural disaster in our state’s history," said DCA Commissioner Charles Richman. "Because of the RREM Program, which is helping approximately 8,300 homeowners recover from Sandy, these families were able to return to their communities and to homes rebuilt to better withstand future storms."
"Every week, more and more people are moving into homes repaired or constructed through State recovery initiatives such as the RREM Program," Commissioner Richman added.
The stories also highlight recovery program staff such as RREM Housing Advisors who provided valuable assistance to get families home.
The ‘Spotlight on Recovery’ series is at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/spotlight-on-recovery/ on the ReNewJerseyStronger.org website.
The Spotlight on Recovery stories feature:
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Rudolph Petrella of Moonachie Borough in Bergen County, who used the RREM Program to replace and elevate the home he lost when Sandy sent four feet of floodwater rushing through his house. Mr. Petrella’s story can be found at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Rudy-Petrella-story-tr2.pdf.
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Caryn French of Keansburg in Middlesex County, who is grateful to the RREM Program for helping her get back the childhood home she plans to pass down to her own children. Ms. French’s story is at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/rrem-gave-back-to-caryn-french-her-childhood-home/.
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Vincent and Susan Bruno of Toms River in Ocean County who decided that the key to successfully recovering from eight feet of water rushing across their property was to maintain a positive attitude and outlook. The Bruno’s story is at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/attitude-is-altitude-for-sandy-impacted-family-in-toms-river/.
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Thomas Barcellona of Berkeley Township in Ocean County, a WWII veteran whose children worked together to get him back home with assistance from the RREM Program. Mr. Barcellona’s Sandy recovery story can be found at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/theres-nothing-like-the-view-from-a-rrem-elevated-home/.
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Glen Purdom of Atlantic City, who says the RREM Program empowered him to repair and elevate his home 14 feet after Superstorm Sandy. Mr. Purdom’s Sandy Recovery story can be found at http://www.renewjerseystronger.org/program-perfect-for-glen-purdom-a-diy-kind-of-guy/.
"As we help thousands of our fellow New Jersey residents, we are finding that while Sandy confronted many with similar challenges, each family has a unique and moving story to tell of how they met and overcame these challenges with the critical financial support of the RREM Program to successfully recover from the natural disaster," said Deputy Commissioner David Reiner, who visited many of the families featured in the ‘Spotlight on Recovery’ series to offer personal congratulations. "We are proud of their efforts to rebuild their homes and their communities. We are also proud DCA played a role in helping them get back home."
DCA is the grantee under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, and has been allocated more than $4.1 billion in federal funds to assist the State in recovering from Superstorm Sandy. These funds are being utilized for more than two dozen recovery programs to help homeowners, renters, businesses, and local governments.
CONTACT:
Lisa Ryan
(609) 292-6055