Ocean County exceeded $57 million in home and business loan applications approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration, according to a report released Wednesday.
The 674 homes and 26 businesses were seeking aid to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. While FEMA provided disaster relief to those displaced from their primary homes, and National Flood Insurance claims for primary residences were filed, owners of second homes along the Jersey Shore had to seek other funding.
Atlantic County home and business owners were approved for a total of more than $8 million by the SBA. The two counties had the second- and third-highest totals in the state, the report said. The total reflects low-interest loans approved by the SBA specifically for the purpose of rebuilding after a disaster, according to spokeswoman Mary Kathy Cook.
Because some shore communities have a majority of homes rented out, or considered investments, the loans work in the same way for business owners who lease their property.
Interest rates range from 1.6 percent for homeowners and renters to 4 percent for businesses, Cook said.
But even with the aid, the rebuilding process is taking time. In Ventnor, the state of some ground-floor properties is evidence of that.
“As yet I have not seen any of them start to rebuild,” said Jimmie Agnesino, city construction code official.
Many of them have been rendered uninhabitable and the owners have not yet begun construction. Tenants have left, he said.
About 55 Long Beach Island property owners were approved for $3.5 million in SBA home and business loans. But some gave up on any outside help and went to work with a do-it-yourself attitude.
Alina Molina, who owns a home on LBI, went to the nearest Home Depot and found all the materials to dry out her walls and insulation, using fungicide and putting holes in the wall to let it breathe while adding heat. She and her husband, Mariano, cleaned out their garage, which had been flooded during the hurricane.
“FEMA was busy with other people that needed their help more, and because it was our second home, they wouldn’t do it. So I put my rubber boots on and power washed my garage, and we cleaned it,” Molina said of her home on the island. Her primary home is in Jersey City.
The couple bought their LBI home in January 2005, and were forced to buy a National Flood Insurance policy, but the policy did not help repair the damage to their garage.
“They take your premiums, and then they don’t help anybody,” Molina said of the $280 per year spent on her policy. “They force you to buy into it, and if you don’t then your mortgage would be denied.”
But seeing the condition of her neighborhood has Molina concerned. A neighbor’s home, the first on the street facing the bay, was severely damaged, she said.
“It’s a hole in our street,” she said of the damaged house.
Molina said some owners are talking about selling but that she hopes to eventually make LBI her year-round home.
Out-of-pocket expenses to begin construction on a primary residence has been the choice of some homeowners.
“The numbers insurance is proposing is about 50 percent of what it cost to repair my house,” said Chip McLenna, of Margate, whose house is under construction.
With the aid of FEMA, McLenna was able to temporarily relocate while his house is finished. He said he hopes it will not be more than a few more months.
There were almost 2,000 FEMA claims in Ventnor, which was similar to Margate, Brigantine and Atlantic City, which reached close to 3,000. Long Beach Island had almost 5,000 claims filed, second only to Toms River in the county.
The SBA can provide disaster loans to homeowners for their real estate damages and to both homeowners and renters for their personal property losses, Cook said. It also offers loans to businesses of all sizes to cover uninsured damages to real estate, inventory, machinery, equipment, leasehold improvements, landscaping and for the cost of debris removal.
Contact Anjalee Khemlani:
609-272-7247
Follow Anjalee Khemlani on Twitter @AnjKhem
| SBA loans | ||||||
| County | Home loans | $ | Business loans | $ | Total | $ |
| Atlantic | 156 | $7,656,500 | 15 | $1,139,700 | 171 | $8,796,200 |
| Ocean | 674 | $55,033,700 | 26 | $2,617,900 | 700 | $57,651,600 |
| Cumberland | 9 | $713,200 | 1 | $9,500 | 10 | $722,700 |
| Cape May | 99 | $3,727,200 | 12 | $994,000 | 111 | $47,212,000 |
| FEMA Claims | ||||||
| Atlantic County | Claims | |||||
| Atlantic City | 2,673 | |||||
| Brigantine | 2,283 | |||||
| Egg Harbor Twp. | 291 | |||||
| Longport | 644 | |||||
| Margate | 1,782 | |||||
| Pleasantville | 61 | |||||
| Somers Point | 134 | |||||
| Ventnor | 1,894 | |||||
| Cape May County | Claims | |||||
| Avalon | 765 | |||||
| Cape May | 65 | |||||
| Cape May Point | 11 | |||||
| Lower Township | 60 | |||||
| Middle Twp. | 203 | |||||
| North Wildwood | 614 | |||||
| Ocean City | 4,648 | |||||
| Sea Isle City | 1,080 | |||||
| Stone Harbor | 375 | |||||
| Upper Township | 165 | |||||
| West Wildwood | 204 | |||||
| Wildwood Crest 101 | ||||||
| Wildwood | 399 | |||||
| Cumberland County | Claims | |||||
| Downe Twp. | 110 | |||||
| Ocean County | Claims | |||||
| Barnegat Light | 152 | |||||
| Barnegat | 175 | |||||
| Bay Head | 535 | |||||
| Beach Haven | 1,535 | |||||
| Beachwood | 21 | |||||
| Berkeley | 1,333 | |||||
| Brick | 2,939 | |||||
| Harvey Cedars | 530 | |||||
| Lacey | 1,264 | |||||
| Lavallette | 1,589 | |||||
| Little Egg Harbor | 2,360 | |||||
| Mantoloking | 449 | |||||
| Ocean Gate | 296 | |||||
| Ship Bottom | 1,027 | |||||
| Surf City | 881 | |||||
| Ocean Twp. | 493 | |||||
| Toms River | 6,561 | |||||
| Tuckerton | 501 | |||||
| Stafford Twp. | 2,918 | |||||
| Point Pleasant | 970 | |||||
| Point Pleasant Beach | 1,244 | |||||
| Long Beach Twp. | 4,915 | |||||
| Seaside Park | 790 | |||||
| Seaside Heights | 740 | |||||
| Source: FEMA | ||||||
