SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ-Federal officials on Monday said that the state of New Jersey can use federal funds earmarked for Superstorm Sandy recovery to pay for the repair of damage caused by last week's devastating fire.
“We advised the state that the Sandy money is a possible resource to them, to the degree that this fire exacerbated their Sandy recovery efforts,” said Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We've also advised the state that they should await the results of the investigation before committing any funds.”
The decision by HUD bolsters Gov. Chris Christie's plan to use federal funds debris removal and for business grants to help revive a stretch of boardwalk and 50 businesses in Seaside Heights and Seaside Park that were destroyed or damaged by last week's fire.
“We're moving as swiftly and aggressively as we can to help these communities and their boardwalk businesses rebuild from this unfortunate stumbling block to our overall Sandy recovery,” Gov. Christie said in a statement. ”The extensive damage to the remaining structures is a safety hazard, so it's important they are removed quickly.” See story in The Record.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.