Point 1 – As I was listening to the speakers at the Wednesday, 2/19/14 Sandy Bill Kick- off Tour at Perth Amboy City Hall, there was a gentleman from Seaside who spoke. He said, “My main residence was not affected by Superstorm Sandy, but my rental property was.” What about those people who run into roadblocks when that secondary property is destroyed?

What many people forgot is that a person’s rental property may be their only source or a major part of their income. It will be a hardship on them. So what list would they be put on? Will there be programs geared to them specifically? This is something to ponder.

I know people who have lost their summer homes which they would rent out part time. Some of those people have told me, “Thank God I still have a roof over my head.” Even though they will miss their home away from home, but they have other income to fall back on.

Point 2 – It’s not only outsiders who are unscrupulous. As I was listening to Senate President Sweeney he mentioned an outside contractor that was fired by the Christie Administration and was given $10 million to go away.

I could understand Sweeney’s frustration and agreed with him that the State should have not given that contractor a cent.

What is even more disturbing is when local contractors take advantage of people during disasters such as this. They charge huge sums of money to cleanup people’s property after disasters.

I was talking to a friend who said someone he knew paid $17,000 to a local contractor to have debris removed from their property after the storm. This contractor dumped the debris into the street in the city where they resided. That city wound up discarding that garbage. The contractor knew that homeowners were desperate and would pay any price for cleanup. That was disgraceful.

Point 3 – We have to thank the outsiders who came to our rescue. This includes utility workers and even school kids who traveled from the South to bring much needed supplies to Sayreville.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn and came with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity from other states who joined the local chapter to help rebuild New Jersey.