People wore hooded sweatshirts. The beaches were empty, save for a few surfers and fishermen. Welcome to Memorial Day weekend on Long Beach Island. Look down virtually any street and evidence of the monster storm that roared into Ocean County last Oct. 29 is still very much visible. Contractor trucks are everywhere. Pods perch in front of obviously damaged homes. You can look right through some of the houses, since the sheetrock has been ripped out. The older, small homes took the brunt of Superstorm Sandy. Their more modern counterparts, up on pilings, made it through. The wind whipped up …

Long Beach Boulevard in Surf City was jammed with cars this morning. But it wasn't because of the start of Memorial Day weekend. Gov. Chris Christie paid a visit to Scojos on the Boulevard, to meet and greet people tucking into omelets and pancakes at the popular restaurant. The crowd of about 150 waiting for him outside whooped and whistled when his caravan of black of SUVs pulled in. Christie, in short sleeves despite chilly weather, cloudy skies and strong northwest winds, plunged into the crowd immediately, shaking hands and posing for pictures. "Thanks for coming down, governor," one man…

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes…

BRICK, NJ -- The kick-off ceremonies may be taking place. But many are far from starting over at the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day weekend. As the Shore on Friday celebrated the rebirth of the Seaside Heights boardwalk following its destruction in Hurricane Sandy, the situation remained grim just minutes away on Ocean County's northern barrier island. In Mantoloking, the epicenter of a massive ocean breach during the Oct. 29, 2012 storm, homes remained off their foundations, awaiting the arrival of demolition crews. Oceanfront lots that once contained houses are empty, and the entire town …

  President Obama may visit Point Pleasant Beach on Tuesday, but it's not definite yet if that will be one of his stops at the Jersey Shore, said Gov. Christie in Point Beach early Friday afternoon. "I don't know yet where he's going," said Christie, on the second level of the Boardwalk Bar and Grill on Friday, in between doing television interviews and greeting Jenkinson's owners and other well-wishers. "But, yes, this is one of the places that's being looked at," he said. "It's up to the White House where he goes. They tell us where they want to go and we bring them." "Put in a good word …

The Jersey Shore is officially open for summer, Gov. Chris Christie said as he spent Friday morning in Seaside Heights promoting tourism in New Jersey.  Early Friday, Christie appeared on NBC's Today Show, which broadcast its morning news program live from Seaside Heights. The governor later cut a ceremonial ribbon — a Guinness World Record at over five miles long — to officially declare the shore open.  "It's an incredible day for New Jersey," Christie said in remarks. "I'm so thrilled that this morning we're here with the whole country welcoming the Jersey Shore back." After being battered …

Though immense devastation from Superstorm Sandy remains visible up and down the New Jersey coastline, beaches, boardwalks and even rental homes are ready for the annual influx of summer tourists that will begin this weekend, officials said Thursday at the annual "State of the Shore" event in Belmar. The State of the Shore report is presented by state officials and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium every year before Memorial Day weekend kicks off, but this year it evolved to mark the unofficial reopening of the Shore area following Sandy. With emergency repairs to state and local …

President Obama and Gov. Christie will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday, according to The Record in Bergen County. Herb Jackson of the Record and northjersey.com reports President Obama will visit the Jersey Shore on Tuesday with Gov. Christie. This will be Obama's first visit to the area since Oct. 31, just after the storm struck. More information can be found here.

Volunteer divers from Divers Two in Avon-by-the-Sea came to Brick Wednesday to search the oceanfront area for debris left over from Superstorm Sandy. But hours into their search, nothing had been found. Dives will continue throughout the summer season as a precaution, officials said.

The township-led program that will include the demolition of potentially hundreds of homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy has hit a snag. The $8.2 million program, which will also include the carting away of debris from destroyed neighborhoods, will have to be rebid after it was determined that one of the winning bidders does not hold the proper licensing for a portion of the project. The Private Property Debris Removal, or PPDR, program is run by FEMA and allows the township to take on the task of demolishing destroyed homes or entire neighborhoods. FEMA then reimburses the township 75 …

Gov. Chris Christie, local officials and thousands of residents were on hand Wednesday morning to christen Belmar's rebuilt boardwalk. The 1.3 mile-long boardwalk, which spans the length of the borough, was destroyed Oct. 29 during Superstorm Sandy. Mayor Matt Doherty said crews began working to rebuild it in January and remained on schedule so it could be reopened by Memorial Day weekend.

Gov. Chris Christie was in Lavallette Monday to help the borough celebrate the reconstruction of its boardwalk and promote tourism as Memorial Day Weekend nears.  Like many Jersey Shore towns, Lavallette's boardwalk was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy. The governor traveled to the borough to spread the word that New Jersey continues to recover.  "This is the first symbol, for us, of making sure this week that everybody across the state, across the region, and across America knows that the Jersey Shore is open for the summer and ready to receive our customers," Christie said in remarks there …

  An eight-episode series of 'This Old House' focuses on several local homes rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy. The PBS' show will first air in October. PBS announced the show worked on an 1880s cottage in Bay Head, a 1950s Colonial in Point Pleasant, and a prefabricated new house in Manasquan. Side stories will also feature restoration projects in Mantoloking, Long Beach Island, and Ocean Grove and other local projects along the beach and the bay. Here is the complete announcement from the show producers: Months after Superstorm Sandy devastated shorelines on the East Coast, affected …

Toms River's program to demolish homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy is set to begin on Saturday morning in Ortley Beach, Mayor Thomas Kelaher announced. More than 100 homes are expected to be demolished through the township's Private Property Debris Removal Program. The removal of the homes will be reimbursed by FEMA, according to the township.  "Our residents are eager to start the rebuilding process," Kelaher said in a statement.  A $6,674,520 contract was awarded in March to Hudson Valley Environmental for the demolition.  Demolition Saturday will begin in Ortley Beach at a Seagull Lane …

Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive loss homes in flood areas and converts the …

As needs have shifted so too has the conversation. Recovery remains underway in varying degrees following Hurricane Sandy's arrival on New Jersey's shores in late October. And while meeting immediate needs of storm survivors was a challenge at times, the direction was always clear: a return to some semblance of normalcy.  Long term recovery, however, is a concept still up for debate. The only thing that's clear now is just how unclear it really all is.  At Monmouth University Thursday night, a live panel comprised of experts and officials joined a second panel broadcast live from New York …

The mood has changed. A log from NJ Hope and Healing shows that people impacted by Hurricane Sandy have gone from feeling shocked, sad and tired with a loss of appetite to angry, hopeless and unable to make decisions. “People are having a natural reaction to abnormal circumstances,” said Carol Benevy, Project Lead for NJ Hope and Healing. NJ Hope and Healing is a project sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Disaster and Terrorism Branch, through a FEMA grant. In partnership with Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention, NJ Hope and Healing offers …

Although New Jersey has the second-lowest suicide rate in the nation, a new hotline has received approximately 300 calls since it was launched May 1, according to Philly.com. New Jersey’s suicide rate for people ages 35 to 64 increased 31 percent from 1999 to 2010, and as a result the New Jersey Department of Human Services spent $648,981 to create NJHOPELINE, Philly.com reported. Officials have expressed concerns of the emotional impact the stress related to damage and losses from Hurricane Sandy has had and will continue to have, according to Philly.com. Operated by University Behavioral …

Adoption of the county budget was once again postponed, as the county recently became aware of possible funding that could boost its ratable base, which was drastically cut due to Superstorm Sandy. The Ocean County Freeholders approved a resolution at its regular meeting Wednesday allowing the county to apply for funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Actually, it’s good news,” Freeholder Director John P. Kelly said. The funding would come from CDBG, separate from the grants the county receives annually through the program. The money is for communities whose …

An amendment aimed at halting federal flood insurance rate hikes for five years has been blocked in the U.S. Senate. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) was blocked from coming to a vote Tuesday by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Amendments in the U.S. Senate require what is known as "unanimous consent" before a vote can take place, meaning a single member can block a vote from occurring. Toomey told the New Orleans Times-Picayune Tuesday that he objected to changing reforms put in place last year because he supports the move to "diminish the subsidization that occurs now where …