Hurricane Ida Recovery One Year Later: New Jersey

Release Date:
September 6, 2022

On Sept. 5, 2021, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state of New Jersey for remnants of Hurricane Ida. Torrential downpour from the storm resulted in severe flooding that impacted homes, businesses and infrastructure across the state. The recovery continues through a whole community approach across all levels of government, community organizations and individuals.

One year after the federal disaster declaration more than $873.6 million in federal funds have been provided to New Jersey to aid in their recovery. Funds include grants from FEMA through its Individuals and Households and Public Assistance programs, low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration and claim payments from the National Flood Insurance Program.

Federal Disaster Assistance At a Glance­­­

Individual Assistance

  • Twelve counties designated for federal assistance: Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Warren

  • 44,993 households approved for FEMA disaster assistance, totaling $253 million, including:

    • $228 million approved for Housing Assistance, which helps to cover temporary housing, rental assistance, and home repair and replacement.

    • $25 million approved for Other Needs Assistance, which can help eligible survivors pay for replacing essential household items, medical and dental expenses, childcare, debris cleaning and removal, and other disaster-related expenses.

  • Sixteen Disaster Recovery Centers and eleven Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers opened across the designated counties to provide FEMA registration and application assistance to over 9,800 survivors.

  • Disaster Survivor Assistance teams conducted door-to-door outreach, offering over 30,700 survivors registration assistance and resource referrals.

Coordinated by FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons and NJVOAD, several AmeriCorps Disaster Service Unit teams, totaling 115 members, remediated mold and mucked and gutted nearly 200 damaged homes.

Public Assistance

  • 13 counties designated for categories of federal assistance: Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Warren
     
  • $57.1 million obligated to help state and local governments and certain private nonprofits pay for infrastructure repair, debris removal, emergency protective measures, and hazard mitigation measures. This includes:
     
    • 941 projects obligated to repair critical infrastructure and social service facilities in communities – such as accredited schools, hospitals, roads and bridges, community centers, and houses of worship.
       
      • Gloucester County was reimbursed $2.6 million for county-wide debris removal efforts – over 1.9 million pounds of vegetative debris were cleared from roads and public property.
         
      • Ridgefield High School was obligated over $154,000 to replace a damaged wood-floor gymnasium and implement mitigation measures designed to prevent future flooding – this includes projects to seal flood entry-points and divert flood runoff.

Small Business Administration

  • 5344 low-interest disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters, and businesses for a total of $252.6 million including:

    • $220.8 million in home loans

    • $31.6 million in business loans

    • $167,100 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans to support small businesses and private nonprofits that suffered disaster-related economic losses.

National Flood Insurance Program

  • 6158 policyholder claims paid, totaling $314.7 million

Preparedness

  • As we approach the height of hurricane season, New Jersey residents are reminded to take steps now to be prepared for the future:

    • Build an Emergency Supply Kit. Start with the items you may already have in your home and create an emergency supply kit with essentials to sustain your family for at least three days. Among the basics, like water, non-perishable foods, a flashlight and radio, a kit should also include items specific to your families’ needs.

    • Make a Plan. Talk with family or members of your household about potential risks in your area so your family knows who to contact, where to go if ordered to evacuate, and how to respond in an emergency.

    • Safeguard Critical Documents. Important personal, financial, medical, and insurance documents should be stored in a water-tight container or external drive in a flood-safe location on high shelf or upper floor.

    • Purchase Flood Insurance. While most renters, homeowners, and auto insurance policies do not cover flood damage, flood insurance can protect your home and belongings. Flood insurance policies normally go into effect 30 days after you purchase the policy.

  • For more hurricane preparedness information, visit Ready.gov. To learn more about flood insurance, visit FloodSmart.gov.

  • For the latest on New Jersey’s Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, visit fema.gov/disaster/4614. Follow FEMA on Twitter at twitter.com/femaregion2 and at facebook.com/fema.

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