In an effort to provide support to the residents of the state most affected by the devastating impact of Ida’s remnants, Governor Phil Murphy today announced that FEMA has approved a Major Disaster Declaration in Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties.
The Governor made the announcement during a visit to Lambertville, a community that faced severe storm impacts.
According to Gov. Murphy´s official website, the declaration will allow people in the six approved counties to register in order to obtain direct assistance for Ida-related recovery, which may include home repairs, temporary housing, low-cost loans, and other programs to help recover from the effects of the tropical storm. Affected residents need to register at www.disasterassistance.gov.
After registering, applicants will receive notification letters from FEMA either by U.S. mail or by electronic correspondence explaining the next steps. Those residents who reported during the application process that they received damage and are not able to live in their primary residence; an inspector will contact them by phone to schedule an inspection.
The Governor also announced that the state has launched a data collection portal to gather data from impacted individuals outside of the six counties where FEMA has declared the Major Disaster Declaration.
FEMA and the State continue to evaluate damage in other counties and the state portal will ensure that all Ida damages across all counties in the State are evaluated for potential FEMA assistance. The state portal will record basic information including name, location, damages and cost, and need from impacted residents and businesses. It is accessible at nj.gov/ida. and damagenj-njoem.hub.arcgis.com
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The Public Damage Reports website(damagenj-njoem.hub.arcgis.com) gives the citizens of New Jersey access to self-report damages in the aftermath of significant disasters.
Helpful information
The reports help local, state, and federal authorities better understand the location and severity of damage impacts. That information also helps expedite the individual assistance process following major disasters and emergencies.
Murphy urged the residents to use the resources available at the agency website. “Many residents of our state are facing a long road ahead as they recover from Ida,” said Governor Murphy. “I am very grateful to the Biden Administration and FEMA for their swift approval of the Major Disaster Declaration for six of our counties. I urge residents and businessowners in those counties to visit FEMA’s website and begin the application process.”
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“We also urge residents outside of the six counties to register their information at nj.gov/ida so that we can be ready to get dollars into the hands of additional New Jerseyans as soon as we are able,” he added.
Extraordinary efforts
Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police praised the agency’s efforts to facilitate the state’s recovery from the severe weather event. “I applaud the extraordinary efforts of FEMA for their continued support to the residents of New Jersey that are recovering from Tropical Storm Ida.”
“This Major Disaster Declaration and data collection portal will expedite the recovery process and aid us in our effort to become a more resilient state as we build our communities back,” the Superintendent said.
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