Jersey City Sustains $35M In Storm Damage; FEMA Assessing

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop accompanied Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers through the city on Tuesday to survey the damage caused by Ida last week.

The survey comes after Hudson County was left off of the list of those eligible for federal disaster aid after Hurricane Ida. Six counties in New Jersey are now eligible for special aid from the federal government after Hurricane Ida caused havoc across the state last week. But although Jersey City sustained severe flooding and damage from the storm, it was left off the list.

According to the National Weather Service, Jersey City got 6.5 inches of rain, overwhelming streets, homes and cars. There are close 100 cars abandoned in Jersey City's streets, Fulop said.

In a series of tweets about damage from the storm, Mayor Fulop called the exclusion of Hudson County "absolutely crazy/shameful."

"We got the storm as bad as any NJ county with higher density in population," Fulop tweeted.

He added the preliminary damage estimates in the city are totaling $35 million, but that doesn't include the millions in personal property damage residents and business owners experienced. Fulop's last tweet before the FEMA workers arrived stated he was "optimistic that Hudson County will be added to all of the NJ eligible FEMA assistance programs."

Other mayors in Hudson County were just as aggravated with the exclusion.

"Needless to say, it was disappointing that Hudson County was not on this initial list," said Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. "Hoboken, and other parts of Hudson County were hit just as hard as areas in the six counties listed, and most certainly should have been included. Many of our residents and businesses suffered tremendous damage, and our county deserves to receive federal assistance as soon as possible."

Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli was also optimistic that Hudson County would land on the disaster list.

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.

Patch reporter Carly Baldwin contributed to this report.