Major Disaster Declaration
On Sunday, recovery from Tropical Storm Ida continued and President Joe Biden announced a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of New Jersey as well as the individual counties of Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset. It is expected that additional counties, including Essex, Hudson, Mercer, and Union, will be added as FEMA and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management finalize preliminary damage assessments.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Please use the state portal to report Ida-related damage and keep documentation, photos, and receipts. This should expedite reimbursement. Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide, including counties that do not meet the major disaster declaration threshold.
FEMA has created a webpage that includes New Jersey resources and assistance for families. If you wish to assist with the recovery efforts, you should visit FEMA’s Volunteer/Donate page.
People in need of emergency assistance from the Red Cross can call: 800 RED-CROSS or 800-507-6058. For people who have been displaced, please use the Red Cross website to find a shelter near you.
NJ Disaster Cleanup Business and Non-Profit Grant Program
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority Board is expected to approve a program on Wednesday that will provide grants between $1,000 and $5,000 to New Jersey businesses and non-profits with up to 50 employees that suffered physical damage as a result of Tropical Storm Ida and any additional flooding immediately thereafter. Landlords and home-based businesses are not eligible. Some of the details below may change before the board meets, but to be eligible and entity must:
- Provide certification of an unmet need due to damage and/or business interruption.
- Provide documentation of physical damage to the applicant’s physical commercial location.
- Present a valid Employer Identification Number (EIN).
- Submit recent wage reporting form (WR30), if applicable.
- Be registered to do business in the State of New Jersey.
- Be in good standing with the Department of Taxation.
- Comply with any additional requirements that are announced when the program is finalized.
Please visit the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Flood Resources page and the League’s Emergency & Public Health Resource page that includes contact information for power outages, and resources regarding tornado preparedness, weather reports, an Ida-specific page, and many other related topics. The New Jersey Department of Health Office of Disaster Resilience announced the creation of the Hurricane Preparedness webpage that contains resources.
Contact: Paul Penna, Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, ext. 110.
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