Somerset County Gets Federal Aid For Winter Blizzard Expenses

Somerset County, NJ -- Federal grant money is being offered to Somerset County after it was slammed with almost three feet of snow, high winds and then flooding from Winter Storm Jonas in January.

President Barack Obama granted Governor Chris Christie's request for a major disaster declaration on Tuesday to all counties that were affected.

FEMA’s Public Assistance program will provide grants for emergency work and the repair or replacement of eligible public facilities damaged by the disaster.

Additionally, emergency “snow assistance” will be provided to allow reimbursement for eligible snow-related expenses.

The storm that occurred during Jan. 22 to 24 not only brought blizzard conditions -- with a record snowfall of up to 30 inches of snow to New Jersey -- but also had a combination of dangerous high winds with dense snowfall causing hazardous travel conditions, fallen trees, and approximately 270,000 power outages in affected counties.

Following the storm a near-full moon on Jan. 22 created high tides across the state and flooding.

More than $82.6 million of damage resulted from the severe winter storm event, according to a release from the state.

Along with Somerset, these counties were also granted federal aid:

• Bergen,
• Burlington,
• Camden,
• Essex,
• Hudson,
• Hunterdon,
• Mercer,
• Middlesex,
• Monmouth,
• Morris,
• Ocean,
• Union,
• and Warren Counties.