Major Disaster Declaration: Hudson County Residents Eligible For Federal Disaster Aid

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Hudson County was officially added to the list of New Jersey counties with a Major Disaster Declaration. The long-awaited news was announced by Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday.

Hudson County officials were initially floored at the original announcement last week that the county was not included among the six counties in New Jersey eligible for special aid from the federal government after Tropical Storm Ida wreaked havoc. During the storm, municipalities in Hudson County saw rain totals between 5 and 8 inches.

The addition of the county to the list means that residents can apply for federal disaster relief.

"I encourage any and all homeowners and renters with flood damage to first process insurance claims, and then apply for disaster funding through FEMA at disasterassistance.gov," said Ravi Bhalla, the mayor of Hoboken, Friday. "For additional assistance including options for small businesses, please visit our dedicated Hoboken recovery webpage at hobokennj.gov/ida.”

On Tuesday, Federal Emergency Management Agency workers visited parts of Jersey City and Hoboken to assess the damage caused by Ida and determine whether the county should be added to the federal disaster list.

In Jersey City, preliminary damage estimates were totaling $35 million, according to Mayor Steven Fulop, but that doesn't include the millions in personal property damage residents and business owners experienced.

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Governor Murphy declared a State of Emergency and on Sunday, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in the state of New Jersey. Across New Jersey, the death toll from the flooding stands at 27 as of Monday, and four still missing. New Jersey suffered the highest number of Ida-related deaths of all the U.S. states.

Why getting on that FEMA list matters

When flooding as serious as what happened last week occurs, its extremely helpful that American towns or counties qualify under FEMA as "major disaster areas" because residents can then apply for federal funding.

If you live or own a business in those six original counties on FEMA's list, and sustained storm-related losses, you can begin applying for assistance Tuesday, Sept. 7 by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362). The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Things FEMA will help pay for include home repairs, temporary housing, low-cost loans and other programs to help recover from the effects of the storm.

The state portal will record basic information including name, location, damages and cost, and need. So start recording your damages here: nj.gov/ida and damagenj-njoem.hub.arcgis.com