Hurricane Sandy Victims Still Struggling

Princess Cottage in Union Beach, N.J., in 2012 following Hurricane Sandy

A year has passed since Superstorm Sandy rocked the east coast of the U.S. but for many residents in New Jersey not much has changed. Billions of dollars in aid have been rolling in from the government, but those waiting for help in New Jersey haven't seen hardly any of it, and when they do, they will still have to wait until pre-approved contractors are ready to go to work. When Sandy hit in October of last year, it took until January 2013 to approve a $60 billion aid package. While New Jersey was waiting for its plan to be approved, places like New York City tapped into their savings to get neighborhoods back on their feet, while New Jersey residents sat and waited. About 360,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the storm, and hardly any of those families have received any help as of yet. When they do, they won't even be allowed to touch it themselves. The money will be in a bank account which a contractor will draw from while they repair houses. This is to prevent what happened in New Orleans, where residents took the money and left town, but in the long run, it seems to be hurting people more than helping them.

The storm may have happened a year ago, but the effects are being felt much later, and this case shows what happens when a government simply won't do what needs to be done to help the recovery. Residents in these areas are caught in a never-ending battle between the government, insurance companies, and keeping themselves afloat financially while they wait for someone else to make decisions for them. To avoid issues like this one, policies should be put in place that would dictate how money should be flowing in the event that this were to happen again. Hazard prevention and prediction only goes so far when a big storm like Sandy hits, and that is when preparedness comes into play most.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/jersey-residents-waiting-hurricane-sandy-rebuilding-money/story?id=20371933