Demolitions Ramp Up in Brick, Toms River

It took just over 15 minutes for Richard and Janine Hennion's home on Ocean Terrace in Toms River portion of Normandy Beach to be demolished Wednesday afternoon.

The couple have owned the oceanfront home for four years as a secondary residence. It's one of hundreds that will come down between Toms River and Brick in what is known as the Private Property Debris Removal, or PPDR, program.

"A lot of people had it worse," Janine Hennion said, especially their neighbors whose primary home was destroyed.

The couple plans to rebuild.

Under the PPDR program, municipalities award a contract for a bulk number of demolitions. They are then reimbursed 90 percent of the cost of the demolitions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the remaining 10 percent coming from homeowners' insurance policies.

Local officials were joined by state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin on Wednesday to view the progress of demolitions on Ocean County's northern barrier island. Some 3,000 demolitions are taking place across the state in Sandy's wake.

"We are focused on helping New Jersey recover and making sure that we not only rebuild our infrastructure, homes and businesses, but that we rebuild lives," said Martin.

Martin and other state officials toured the border of Brick and Toms River in Normandy Beach, including the devastated Camp Osborn neighborhood

In addition to Brick and Toms River, demolitions are taking place in Mantoloking, Tuckerton, Berkeley Township, Little Egg Harbor, and towns along the Raritan Bay in Monmouth County.