Relief Available for Brick Residents; Building Inspections Begin

Relief for storm-weary Brick residents was beginning to be made available by the weekend.

Brick residents could take advantage of:

• A town-wide BBQ at the Brick PAL building scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Saturday. "All are welcome," the township said in a release.
• A FEMA office will open at the Brick PAL building openig at 10 a.m. Saturday. Staff will be able to help residents begin the claim process and answer questions about the recovery process.
• Brick American Baseball will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday and will have a heating station, phone charging station and TVs for residents who need it. Their facility is on Lanes Mill Road across from Brick Memorial High School.
• Water and ice will be available at Brick Township High School after 10 a.m. Saturday.
• Food donations are being accepted at Visitation Catholic Church on Mantoloking Road. The church has also opened a soup kitchen for residents.
• St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Herbertsville Road will be having a spaghetti lunch from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Residents can also charge their cell phones and warm up. The church will also be making up food baskets to give out next week. Items needed would be pancake mix, tunafish, beef stew, chunky soups etc.
• There is a 10 day grace period for property tax payments.
• Garbage and recycling collection will resume Monday, Nov. 5.
• The township council will meet at 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5 at town hall.

The township has also started to inspect buildings in storm-affected neighborhoods on the mainland portions of the township.

Inspectors will be checking the structural integrity of all homes that were affected by the storm. These inspectors will all have some form of identification and will also be accompanied by a Department of Public Works employee.  If a home is deemed unsafe they will leave an “order to vacate” sticker on the front door.

Those with an order to vacate can gather their belongings, but those with yellow caution tape around their homes should not enter the building at all, Brick Police said.

Residents with questions about the inspections should call 732-262-1234.