N.J. residents split on rebuilding vs. demolition of Sandy-damaged properties

A new poll shows New Jersey residents are divided about what to do with homes that were damaged by Sandy.

 

The Rutgers-Eagleton poll finds 43 percent of New Jersey voters favor using some federal Sandy aid to help homeowners rebuild.

An identical number want the money used to buy damaged properties, demolish them and turn the land into open space.

Poll director David Redlawsk says respondents under 30 strongly support rebuilding while older residents want the buyouts.

“Young people may see this as much more of a once in a lifetime, let’s go ahead and redo this, let’s put it back the way it was,” he said. “And folks with many more years experience, particularly watching the Shore get battered every now and then by storms and hurricanes, may simply say enough is enough.”

New York residents are more supportive of rebuilding.

Redlawsk says that’s because frequent flooding hasn’t happened as often there.

“Some of it may have to do with the real difference regionally in New York,” he said. “New York physically is a much bigger state, and people in large parts of the state don’t have the same connection to the shore that they do [in New Jersey].”