New Jersey Moves to Demolish Sandy-Damaged Homes

New Jersey officials are moving to demolish hundreds of homes that were ravaged by Superstorm Sandy.

State Community Affairs Department spokeswoman Tammori Petty tells the Daily Record that the agency is identifying the owners or lien holders of roughly 600 abandoned or dilapidated properties.

The homes are located in 23 municipalities, many of them hard hit when the storm hit in October 2012. In many cases, the owners don’t have the money to tear down the structures, which have become neighborhood eyesores.

Officials say there are numerous reasons why the homes have not been repaired. In some cases, property owners may still be dealing with their insurance companies or waiting to learn if they will get grant funding that will allow them to demolish the home and then rebuild.