Crews Demolish Woodbridge Home Damaged In Superstorm Sandy

Seven years ago, Monique Coleman, bought a two-story A-frame house in Woodbridge.

It was damaged in 2010 by a nor’easter, in 2011 by Hurricane Irene and in 2012 by Superstorm Sandy.

The state bought it for $208,703, and on Wednesday, crews demolished the home, at 560 Heidelberg Avenue.

“The Sandy Blue Acres program provided a way out of the flood zone, and the draining cycle of flood damage, loss, and recovery that my family experienced,” Coleman said in a prepared statement. “I am happy to have closed that chapter in my life before experiencing anymore major flooding events. I couldn’t be more thankful for participating in the Sandy Blue Acres buyout program. It was the best option for my family. We continue to recover from the losses that we experienced, but it feels very good to be safely resettled on higher ground.”

The razing is part of the Blue Acres residential property buyout program, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Through the program, homes in flood-prone areas that sustained damage in Superstorm Sandy were bought from willing owners at pre-storm values, which gives residents the financial resources they need to relocate, officials said.

Those properties will become open space, providing natural protection against future severe weather, the news release said.

In Woodbridge, the demolition began last week, when homes on Watson Avenue and Crampton Avenue, near the Heards Brook, were taken down.

More demolitions are expected to be scheduled in Woodbridge over the next few months.

“These first demolitions in Woodbridge are another important stage in our ongoing commitment to move families and property out of harm’s way through the Superstorm Sandy Blue Acres Buyout Program,” DEP Deputy Commissioner David Glass said in a prepared statement. “Getting these properties to serve as natural buffers for future flood events, while giving homeowners a chance at a fresh start, remain our goals as we continue to expand the program.”

Woodbridge, East Brunswick, Sayreville and South River were the first communities approved to take part in the Blue Acres program.

In Woodbridge, 133 homeowners have accepted buy-out offers, and the state has closed on 88 of those houses.

“Immediately following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, Woodbridge Township went to work to assist homeowners in the hardest hit properties in our flood zone,” Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac said in a prepared statement. “Working with Governor Chris Christie, the DEP’s Blue Acres Program, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), we targeted 182 properties for buyouts. Today, while seeing the demolition of the structures is bittersweet, the residents who took the buyout are out of harm’s way and we are able to return the land to open space.”

The state has closed on 187 homes in Sayreville and South River, and demolished 147 of them so far.

A total of 280 homes have been purchased by the state through the Blue Acres program, including four in East Brunswick.

Through the Sandy Blue Acres program, the state hopes to buy about 1,300 damaged homes, the news release said.