NJ Senators Ask for Federal Aid After Irene

New Jersey Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez have asked the president to grant the state a disaster declaration and speed up the process of getting grant money to help fix the damage caused by .

"Hurricane Irene caused extensive damage to public infrastructure such as roads, bridges, public parks and government facilities, and local governments will face enormous challenges as they try to rebuild," the senators said in a joint press release.

Spokesman for the city of Hoboken, Juan Melli, said that the city reached out to Sen. Lautenberg's office to discuss receiving some funding.

It's too early to tell how much money Hurricane Irene cost the city, Melli said.

In preparation of the storm the city purchased row boats for a possible rescue through flood water. All of Hoboken's fire fighters and police officers were on duty before and during the storm. The fire department responded to roughly 200 calls related to Irene.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer on Tuesday thanked the community for sticking together and helping out by moving cares off the street and, in many instances, evacuating town.

"The flooding is over, the state of emergency has been lifted, power has been restored almost everywhere and the cleanup effort will continue this week," Zimmer said in a press release. "Over the next few days and weeks, we will be providing updates on the cleanup effort and the potential for assistance from FEMA."