I knew even before I called my next door neighbor the news was probably bad. "How is it?" I asked. "You don't know?" he replied. My heart sank. We had fled our sweet little Bayville home near the Toms River at noon on Monday, the deadline for the mandatory evacuation order. We headed for my son and daughter-in-law's house in Toms River. A Bayville fireman knocked on our front door about 9 p.m the Friday night before Hurricane Sandy. He smiled, then stepped into our cozy living room lit with harvest lights. We had to sign a paper acknowledging that we understood if we stayed and got into …

Governor Christie said he may lift gas rationing on Monday. The governor, speaking at a press conference in Seaside Park on Friday, said the rationing has worked well and eased congestion at gas stations. But he expects all power to be restored by Sunday, so rationing should therefore end. The following counties are now limited on the days in which they can fill up their gas tanks: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren. According to the state, plates ending in an even number can fill up on even-numbered days of the month, …

  A conference call involving numerous state and federal agencies providing information to businesses impacted by Sandy is available online. The audio recording of a Thursday afternoon conference call with FEMA, the Small Business Administration and other business agencies can now be accessed at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA) website. Scroll about halfway down the page and look for the following paragraph: "Listen to a conference call that took place November 8 on government programs to help businesses recover from Sandy. Senior officials from the Federal Emergency …

Almost two weeks after Hurricane Sandy, and just days after a nor'easter hit Monmouth County, families still find themselves in need. We've seen the images of destruction, and the images of hope. So many residents have already dedicated their money and time to rebuildng towns such as Union Beach and Keyport, but there is still more to be done. Here are some ways you can help: Volunteer Beacon of Hope Center, Hazlet: The formerly vacant Childrens Wear storefront has been taken over and dubbed "The Beacon of Hope" by the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce by its members, who are behind it. …

Shortly after the winds and floods of Hurricane Sandy died down and the full gloomy picture of the devastation became known, local firehouses and churches and even a liquor store sprang up to collect donated goods for the storm victims.  But as word spread and the mountains of clothes grew, organizers began brainstorming a better, longer term solution. An offer was made to lend the empty Childrens Wear and Foodtown stores for 30-days, and the army of people volunteers moved in. Its been dubbed "The Beacon of Hope" by the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce members whose members are behind …

Halloween For Halloween, the Township is working with the Board of Education to hold a special Halloween event called “Trunk or Treat.” This will be held Sunday afternoon November 11th. A complete list of times and participating schools will be released tomorrow along with further details. Repairs Residents and business owners who need to make repairs to homes, offices and storefronts damaged as a result of Hurricane Sandy should first contact the Building Department at 732-615-2104 for information regarding storm-related repairs. Tax Payments Due Nov. 13 The Middletown Tax Office will be …

At the Jersey Shore, the Election Day routines were always simple; perhaps just a little bit hectic: Mothers and fathers dropped the kids off at school, went to work and, somehow, tried to fit voting in between. For years, and well into the 1990s, they went to their schools and recreation centers in Point Boro, Long Branch, Brick and elsewhere to pick candidates, using the old-fashioned machines with the tiny pull-down levers. The lever they usually pulled, just about two-thirds of the time, was for Republicans, right on down the line. The whole thing felt so hectic then, trying to squeeze in…

Gov. Chris Christie praised the National Guard's work in New Jersey during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and expects all power to be restored to the state by early Sunday. Christie spoke at a press conference on Thursday, flanked by members of the National Guard at an armory in Somerset.  Patch has made two calls to JCP&L and has yet to obtain reaction to the governor's statement. We will post that information once it becomes available. "I wanted to come here and thank these men and women as an example of the over 2,200 National Guardsmen I ordered activated in the prelude to Hurricane …

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Keansburg is offering the following: Hot meals on-site the parish-hall/soup-kitchen (located 247 Carr Avenue) daily from noon- 3 p.m. Food bank supplies Clothing (no further, non-specific donations accepted at present) The program is accepting donations of: Boots and coats, all genders/sizes Large size (3XX and 4XXX) women’s and men’s clothing Supermarket gift cards New socks and underwear, all genders/sizes (in the packages ONLY) Blankets Paper products (paper towels, bath/facial tissue) NOTE:  Additional assistance measures, e.g., local residence clean-up, are…

The seventh annual Matawan Turkey Trot is canceled due to the ongoing recovery efforts in the wake of Sandy, according to Recreation Director Deirdre Ring. The 5K race was scheduled for Nov. 24, 2012. Any runners who preregistered will receive a refund. Anyone with questions may contact Ring at recreation@matawanborough.com.

The following message was emailed Wednesday evening from Mayor Anthony Fiore.  This is a nightly Storm update from Mayor Fiore. As you all know by now we are in the midst of a nor’easter following Hurricane Sandy. We are hopeful that we do not experience further power outages this evening. We expect the storm tonight to peak between now and about 10:00 p.m. in terms of wind. High tide is expected sometime after 2:00 a.m. There is a possibility of flooding in low lying areas of the Township as a result. A few additional announcements: The 55th Annual Veterans Day parade hosted by VFW Post 2179…

Hurricane Sandy brought many an adult in New Jersey to tears this past week. Imagine the fear and uncertainty weighing on a child displaced by the storm. And imagine this trauma coming at what should be the most joyous time of year. Freehold NJ Network for Success hopes to restore some sense of normalcy to the children affected by Hurricane Sandy with its third annual holiday toy drive to benefit the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross. The networking group’s event will take place at the American Hotel in Freehold on Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. “Everybody knows somebody who was…

The Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, working in partnership with Raine Foundation and Chamber businesses, has established the Beacon of Hope Distribution Center to assist the residents of the Bayshore towns impacted by the Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy.   The NMCC Beacon of Hope Distribution Center began accepting donations of food and clothing on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 3106 Route 35, in the former Childrens Wear store at the Staples shopping center in Hazlet, NJ. Their Facebook page has contact information and updates about what they need.  The Center will be the hub for the food, clothing …

Small business owners who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy need to be on a conference call at 2 p.m. Thursday with state and federal officials, says the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), New Jersey Economic Development Authority and New Jersey Business Action Center senior officials will be on the conference call on the federal and state government's efforts to help small businesses and homeowners recover from the storm. "Officials will provide updates and answer questions about assistance and …

Monmouth County’s distribution sites will close at 1 p.m. Wednesday in advance of a nor’easter set to hit the area. The three sites were set up throughout the county to assist in relief efforts from Hurricane Sandy. They are scheduled to re-open at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8. The three distribution sites are as follows: Holy Family Church – 910 Route 36 Hazlet Monmouth Park – Oceanport Ave., Oceanport Peddler’s Village – (formerly known as the Circle Factory Outlet) 1407 Atlantic Ave., Wall The donation center set up at Thompson Park in Lincroft located at 805 Newman Springs Road will be …

There are currently 28,176 JCP&L customers without power in Ocean County and 45,836 without power in Monmouth County, according to an update on the JCP&L website. Those numbers change constantly as crews continue to work on outages throughout the region. However, the nor'easter starting to move into the area may cause new outages as well as coastal flooding, according to the National Weather Service. JCP&L, in a prepared statement, says: "Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to more than 900,000 of the 1.2 million JCP&L customers affected by Hurricane Sandy, marking five …

Monmouth County Freeholder Director John P. Curley said he will send a letter to the state Board of Public Utilities today, asking for an investigation into JCP&L's post-Hurricane Sandy response.  Curley said he wants to know how many personnel and trucks JCP&L put to work following the forecasted storm. A week later, 26 percent of the county is still struggling without power, and temperatures in their homes are falling as a vicious nor'easter approaches.  "I think they've done a poor job of keeping the public informed," said the county executive outside the Keansburg Bolger School day …

Ten gasoline tankers protected by the National Guard were ordered into Monmouth County to deliver gasoline to stations that have power but no fuel, said Gov. Chris Christie at an afternoon press conference outside the Bolger School on Palmer Avenue in Keansburg today.  Christie wanted to assure nervous motorists that over 80,000 gallons of gasoline was coming out of Fort Dix, and the government was efforting to increase that number.  "We are not running out of gasoline. There is no supply shortage. What happened was, the pipeline and the refineries were down because we didn't have power. Now …

With many polling locations in Monmouth County and throughout the state changing due to the massive impact of Hurricane Sandy, some residents are finding themselves a little confused. The state of NJ is attempting to make things easier, by allowing residents to text 877877 with a full address, including town name and zip code, and a polling location will be texted back. Voters in 30 Monmouth County municipalities have had changes to their polling locations, according to the Monmouth County Clerk. In addition, the state is allowing residents who fled the state to vote electronically by email …

Mary Kranis has lived in her Shrewsbury Avenue home for 33 years but has been a Highlands resident her entire life. Taking a break from clearing out her family’s water-logged belongings the weekend after Hurricane Sandy brought the bay into her home, Kranis expressed pride in her hometown. “We’re the ones who always stick together. We all help each other. It’s more of a neighborhood,” Kranis said. Almost on cue, a neighbor drove up offering hot coffee. “See, there’s a lot of that.” Despite a flooded home—in fact, three flooded homes among her relatives, Kranis was grateful. The volunteers …