BRICK-It probably wasn’t the reception Democratic Governor Phil Murphy expected in Ocean County’s only “Blue” municipality Friday morning as “feisty” residents grilled the Governor about their recovery process, according to a report today from NJ.com.
Gov. Phil Murphy faced a feisty and frustrated crowd of residents early Friday as he toured a 55-and-over community in Brick that was flooded by a deluge of rain earlier in the week, forcing evacuations and causing extensive damage, the paper reported.
Residents in this neck of the woods have seen it all before, after Superstorm Sandy, after promises of help and assistance fell short and took longer than expected, despite months of promises from then Governor Chris Christie.
This time around, Brick residents are unfortunately wiser and smarter, experienced by the trials and troubles they faced post-Sandy, this time however, the disaster may have been influenced by a potential engineering disaster.
Local legislators want answers. Residents want answers. Why did this one neighborhood, adjacent to a huge state construction project along the Garden State Parkway suffer so much damage?
Many of the affected seniors have nowhere to go and are not covered by homeowners insurance. They don’t live in a flood zone. They don’t have flood insurance.
According to the report, Murphy replied to one concerned resident, a survivor of Hurricanes Maria and Sandy in his native land of Puerto Rico with one word.
“Yup,” the governor said.
“We’re doing everything we can,” Murphy said.
Jersey Shore residents have heard it all before. Six years after Superstorm Sandy, many are still trying to recover, suffering through the red tape of FEMA and government regulations at all levels.
Murphy offered the residents of over 100 affected homes very few answers and little reassurance.
He was also quick to tweet about his morning visit.
“Met with homeowners reeling from recent flooding in Brick,” Murphy tweeted. “In cooperation with local partners, @NJGov will aggressively pursue all forms of assistance for affected residents.”
Brick Township Democrats who run all levels of Brick government these days were staunch supporters of Governor Phil Murphy. Mayor John Ducey was even sworn in by the Governor after his reelection on January 1, 2018.
Now, only time will tell if all of that political investment made by Brick Township Democrats into Murphy’s administration will result in a positive outcome for displaced residents facing a long road to recovery.
