Sandy-Battered NJ Residents Allowed to Return Home

Nine weeks after Superstorm Sandy sent them fleeing, residents of some of the hardest-hit parts of the New Jersey shore can go home again.

Authorities let residents move back home permanently Monday in Seaside Heights, as well as parts of Toms River and Brick.

Few have returned. Vast stretches of each town are still deserted as homeowners struggle to gut and repair flood-damaged homes. But those who moved back in say there's no place like home.

Tony Vaz, a Seaside Heights councilman, still can't stay in his own home, which was flooded. He rented a condominium, and is looking forward to little things like a convenience store opening nearby so people can buy coffee and cigarettes.

Guy Mazzanti described the feeling of being home as "paradise."

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
 

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