TOMS RIVER, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) met today with Doug Quinn, a Toms River resident who lost his home in Superstorm Sandy 11 years ago. The meeting focused on the long struggle to recover and rebuild, and the ongoing efforts to reform disaster recovery systems at the federal level.
Quinn’s seven-year ordeal with insurance companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) represents the struggles many New Jersey families have faced in the aftermath of the disaster. His story has motivated Sen. Menendez’s work on behalf of New Jerseyans affected by the storm.
“The NFIP RE Act is bipartisan legislation that aims to reform disaster recovery processes based on the lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy,” said Sen. Menendez.
Doug Quinn added, “The years of slow, dysfunctional recovery were harder than the storm itself. It took us seven years to get back home. Your advocacy meant the world to us.”
The discussion also touched on the Senator’s various initiatives aimed at increasing flood protections. These range from opening ResilienCity Park in Hoboken to securing millions in FEMA grants for flood mitigation in Bayonne and Rutherford. Sen. Menendez has also spearheaded legislative efforts to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and has been instrumental in securing federal funding for various flood control and resilience projects in the state.
The meeting highlighted the ongoing, decade-long effort to make New Jersey more resilient to extreme weather events and the need to ensure that families like the Quinns never have to endure such hardships again.