9 Months After Ida, Flood Survivors Say They're Still Waiting For Help

TRENTON, NJ — The beginning of Atlantic hurricane season and with it the nine-month anniversary of Hurricane Ida hitting New Jersey. But nearly a year after one of the deadliest storms in the state's recorded history, a group of New Jersey residents in Trenton said they're still waiting on disaster aid.

Roughly two dozen people spoke Wednesday outside the State House to call on federal officials to speed up and improve aid distribution. One of them was Shashuna Atwater, of Newark, who says she's still living with the smell of sewage in her basement after the remnants of Ida destroyed 27 years' worth of diplomas, photographs and other irreplaceable belongings.

Atwater said she's given all her information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency but still hasn't received the financial relief she needs to rebuild. Her landlord also told her that insurance wouldn't cover the damage, Atwater said.

"The aftermath was worse than what you saw when you first looked because here goes the cleaning up part, and you’re all alone," Atwater said. "We have to do better."

Ida's rains hit New Jersey on Sept. 1, leaving 30 in the state dead, significantly flooding roads and damaging homes. As of March 16, FEMA said it distributed $806 million in federal funding to New Jersey in response to Ida:

• $237 million to help pay for home repair and replacement, along with rental assistance for temporary housing
• $247 million in "low-interest" disaster loans for homeowners, renters and business owners
• $314.3 million for National Flood Insurance Program policyholders statewide
• $8.2 million to reimburse New Jersey applicants for debris removal, emergency protective measures and other "eligible" costs

But some of the funds have stalled at the state level as New Jersey officials work to distribute them, according to Meghan Mertyris, a community organizer for the New Jersey Organizing Project, a Shore-based organization that has advocated for better responses to natural disasters since Superstorm Sandy.

Reps. Tom Malinowski (NJ-7) and Andy Kim (NJ-3) — both Democrats running for re-election — joined activists and survivors on the State House steps. Kim says the federal government's poor communication with Ida victims has left them in limbo.

"When they turned to those that they needed the help from, they didn’t get it," Kim said. "For that, I apologize on behalf of our country."

Ida became the second-deadliest storm in the state's recorded history — behind only Sandy, which left 38 in New Jersey dead in 2012. Fourteen months before Ida, Tropical Storms Isaias brought two tornados to New Jersey, caused substantial property damage and power outages, and killed two people in the state.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season runs until Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an "above-average" hurricane season with three to six "major" hurricanes — Category 3, 4 or 5 storms, with winds of 111 mph or higher.

But the NOAA's outlook for overall seasonal activity isn't a landfall forecast, so it's uncertain how any major storms will affect New Jersey this season. No matter the impact on the Garden State, Malinowski says this is the reality for which New Jersey must prepare.

"Climate change is here," Malinowski said. "It is 5, 10 feet of water in your basement. It is your house in the state of New Jersey left in a state of complete disrepair."

Watch the full rally below:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.