Lavallette Post-Storm Re-Entry Begins

Lavallette homeowners growing edgier about conditions in their homes as temperatures drop begin busing in from the mainland in a multi-phase system.

Borough Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Kevin Day tells us that they're prioritizing families with school-age children, followed by remaining residents, and lastly non-residents. It's a short grab-and-go to assess damage, collect necessities and perhaps conduct cursory winterization.

Residents apply via e-mail through a portal on the borough web page, http://www.lavallette.org. They must receive and present a confirmation response in order to board the buses.

Transports leave a shopping center at 1001 Fischer Boulevard in Toms River - the site of Ken's Hardware, and nearby the Timothy Ryan Home for Funerals. Officials are  scheduling two round trips per day. No one is being allowed to ride both runs on the same day, in order to expedite as many people as possible back to their homes.

Phase one is brief, says Dey, about two hours duration. Subsequent phases, he says, will contain longer time allotments.

Borough police, firefighters and emergency responders stand watch during re-entries as a precaution against potential injuries from structural damage.

Emergency personnel urge residents not to call police headquarters or firehouses, which are overloaded with inquiries. The digital request and response starts the process.