State Senator (D-32)/North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco and the board of commissioners are joining the call requesting a FEMA Major Disaster Declaration locally.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Hurricane Ida was an unprecedented extreme weather event that impacted North Bergen along with hundreds of other communities throughout the state and the country and it caused significant property damage, displaced people from their homes and even caused 27 deaths in the state,” Sacco said in a statement.
“North Bergen was hit hard by this storm and our community must receive FEMA Major Disaster Declaration to make sure that residents and businesses who were impacted can get the help they need. While we work with Senator Menendez, Senator Booker and Congressman Sires to make sure North Bergen gets the help it needs, residents can help by reporting the damage to their homes using the state portal.”
Township officials expect to meet with representatives from FEMA in the coming days to survey damage from Hurricane Ida.
The storm caused widespread flooding due to the unprecedented amount of rainfall, with nearly 11 inches of rain reported by the North Bergen Department of Public Works.
This overwhelmed the stormwater sewer systems in numerous municipalities, with the amount of rainfall far exceeding their capacity and resulting in flooded homes and streets.
The rainfall was the highest amount ever recorded in the area in a single hour, far eclipsing records from previous extreme weather events like Hurricanes Sandy, Irene and Floyd, resulting in 200 related calls for service for the police department.
Township officials are also urging residents impacted by Ida to fill out the form on the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.
Yesterday, Hudson County officials, in particular Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, were stunned to see that they were not included in the initial round of New Jersey relief from FEMA.
Fulop tweeted this morning that FEMA representatives would be coming to assess the storm damage, as did Bhalla and Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) met with President Joe Biden (D), who issued a Major Disaster Declaration for NJ on Friday – allowing FEMA to begin releasing relief funds – in Hillsborough.
At the event, the governor asked for Essex, Union, Hudson, and Mercer Counties to receive the next round of federal aid, as the New Jersey Globe reported.
FEMA spokeswoman Nikki Gaskins Campbell did not provide much additional information beyond that officials conducted “preliminary damage assessments” throughout the region today.
“I can confirm FEMA staff was out in the field today with NJOEM and local representatives to conduct Preliminary Damage Assessments,” she said in an email.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated with a comment from FEMA spokeswoman Nikki Gaskins Campbell.
