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Tent City Pops Up In New Jersey In Aftermath Of Sandy

OCEANPORT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- For thousands of families in the Garden State, the situation in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy has gone from bad to worse.

They've already lost their homes, and now they're being forced out of their shelters, CBS 2's Derricke Dennis reported.

Security wouldn't let CBS 2 past the gates Thursday night, but Dennis had come upon a micro-city of tents, set up in the wake of Sandy, primarily to house power crews arriving from other states to help in the restoration effort.

However, CBS 2's Dennis learned that storm victims had been relocating to the tent city since Wednesday -- families, children, living under massive tents, more than 200 people that had been made homeless by Sandy.

"They're helping people. Beats them staying in a hotel," nearby resident Ryan Katsch said.

Neighbors said they noticed people moving in by the busload. Pictures inside showed the cots people were sleeping on and the open spaces everyone was sharing.

But the complaints have ranged from the drafty conditions inside the tents, to the outdoor Porta Potty people were using in the cold.

A spokesperson from the New Jersey Department of Human Services said the accommodations were temporary, but made necessary after school shelters were closed in the area, as schools started reopening after the storm.

Outsiders said they were torn, especially as the cold set in.

"It doesn't look warm at all. [Government must] do a better job or finding housing for people," Susan Hunt said.

"I don't think it's fair at all, [but] take what you can get until everything is fixed, you know?" Katsch added.

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