LBI opens permanently, except in Holgate

Photo via Panoramio
LBI residents make their way over the Causeway 
Bridge following Superstorm Sandy to rebuild 
their livelihood at the Jersey Shore.

Life on Long Beach Island is slowly but surely resurrecting.

Residents and non-residents alike are allowed to access all areas of the Island, except for Holgate. A curfew is being enforced between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The Long Beach Island Joint Office of Emergency Management allowed residents of North Beach and Holgate, as well as all of the area’s residents who have been living in shelters during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, to check on their homes and grab their personal belongings on Friday, Nov. 9. Atlantic City Electric shut down power from Susan Avenue to the south end of Holgate that day to ensure residents could safely access their homes, township officials said.

All LBI residents with a re-entry placard or proof of ownership or residency, excluding those who reside in Holgate, were allowed to permanently access the Island on Saturday, Nov. 10. Registered contractors, as well as insurance adjusters and inspectors were permitted with a work order and proper documentation. The bridge opened bright and early at 6 a.m.

According to officials, no demolition or construction is permitted at this time, but contractors are allowed to winterize and secure their customer’s homes.

Holgate residents and contractors with proper identification will be allowed to access their homes to retrieve valuables on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 18 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. No demolition or construction will be permitted and utilities will not be on.

Military personnel have been reassigned from a security mission to an engineering assignment, except in Holgate, officials said.

“Holgate is uninhabitable. Everything is overturned,” said Lynda Wells, municipal clerk of Long Beach Township.

She added that there have not been any disturbances from any residents or sightseers that she’s aware of. Most are just “concerned,” she said.

For up-to-date information regarding the Island’s re-entry plan, visit http://lbieoc.org/home.html.

This article was published in The SandPaper.