Dune restoration protest march July 18 in Ortley

Fed up with inaction on storm protections for the Toms River shorefront, two citizens' groups collaborate for a July 18 protest march in Ortley Beach that they hope will draw crowds of equally-irate Superstorm survivors.

The "March from Bay to Beach" is organized by the Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association (OBVTA) and Stop FEMA Now. Their goal is to force Governor Chris Christie, the state Attorney General's office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Army Corps of Engineers to clear the obstacles preventing progress.

Members of the Toms River Township Council are taking part, say OBVTA members, and invitations have gone to county, state and federal officials.

"This project will build substantial dunes and widen our beaches, providing us with the protection we so critically need to hold back future storm surges," Paul Jeffrey, OBVTA President, said in a prepared statement. "Congress has already funded the entire project, as well as 50 years of replenishing and maintenance -- but almost three years after the storm, the state has failed to complete the paperwork to obtain the easements necessary to make this project happen. We urge them to begin legal proceedings immediately, before another major disaster occurs."

The protest is the second that Jeffrey and Stop FEMA Now head George Kasimos have organized. Several weeks ago, they demonstrated at the State House in Trenton over the labyrinthine process that most home owners in the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program continue to face.
Stop FEMA Now allied with groups nationwide to push for the federal Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act, and to force the reopening of settled flood-insurance claims amid suspicions of underpayments and rigged engineering reports.

Marchers gather at 9:30 AM at the Moose Lodge, 1801 Bay Boulevard in Ortley, then move to the township beach at Third Avenue for a rally on the boardwalk about an hour later. Police will stop traffic on Route 35 to allow marchers to cross the highway.

The Army Corps, from the outset, has initiated beach replenishment in participating communities that have achieved full compliance from waterfront homeowners for access rights required by DEP. Some communities, such as Mantoloking, have circumvented the project with their own protective plans. Other beachfront property holders, such as homeowners in Bay Head and Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant Beach, have taken their objections to court.

"This is the shore's most important issue, because rebuilding homes and infrastructure is useless if we have no protection from the next big storm," Jeffrey said. He urged the state to pursue the few remaining easements needed south of Mantoloking, "but don't hold up the rest of the project because the Jenkinson's company...and some residents of Bay Head don't want it."

A tab on the Toms River Township web page contains 17 portals for Superstorm-related information, some specific to Ortley, that chronicle problems and progress and offer information about support programs, planning and engineering issues, and more..