Guests At Damaged Neptune Motel Moved To Wall, Fed By Fulfill

WALL, NJ - After straight-line winds of over 60 mph ripped off part of a motel roof in Neptune Sunday, over a dozen motel residents and staff were forced to evacuate the building, which was deemed uninhabitable, according to New Jersey State Police. Fulfill, the food bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, left no time to spare, quickly preparing food for the displaced residents.

Guests were equipped with crisis boxes, including a four-day supply of non-perishable food for a family of four. Prepared meals were also delivered to them at the Budget Inn on Route 35 in Wall Township.

“We understand that each motel room has a microwave so they can reheat the meals and canned food. Of course, we added can openers to each delivery so they can open the cans as well. We wish them all the best and want them to know we will also be there tomorrow with prepared meals,” said Fulfill CEO and President Kim Guadagno, the former Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.

The National Weather Service, which is still investigating whether a possible tornado touched down in the area, says the damage in the area, which includes damage done to the roof of America's Best Value Inn in Neptune, was consistent with straight-line winds of 70 mph "which likely caused the roof to peel off." Read more: 70 MPH Straight-Line Winds Damaged Neptune Motel: Weather Service

The event occurred around 8 p.m. on Sunday during a storm that brought heavy rain for less than half an hour to the Shore.

“There was some speculation if it was a tornado or not. We are working with FEMA and the National Weather Service, it looks like it was 60 to 70 mph straight-line winds,” New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick J. Callahan said Monday. “A few businesses may have some video that may help the National Weather Service land on that as a confirmed tornado. We’re working with Neptune OEM. America’s Best Value Inn is uninhabitable. So those 11 individuals have been relocated to a different hotel over in Wall Township.”

Motel residents and staff were evacuated and relocated by Neptune EMS, Patch previously reported. They received assistance on Monday from the Neptune Township Special Operations Rescue in retrieving belongings from the Inn, and Monmouth County's Office of Social Services was working to assist residents with relocation.

Before the pandemic, Fulfill fed around 136,000 people, including 50,000 children, each year. Now, Fulfill is feeding 215,000 people, including 70,000 children. Since the pandemic began, Fulfill has provided 3.3 million more meals to the food insecure at the Jersey Shore.

You can donate to Fulfill here.

With reporting by Karen Wall.