$3M Awarded To Fix Hurricane Ida Flood Damage At Bridgewater-Raritan Schools

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District was awarded nearly $3 million to fix extensive flooding and facility damages caused by Hurricane Ida, announced Representative Tom Malinowski on Wednesday.

"Our communities are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Ida and we must ensure that they have the resources to rebuild," said Malinowski of District 7. "I’m glad we were able to deliver this support for Bridgewater students and I will continue to fight for more, so that we fully recover from the last storm, and are better protected from the next one."

The remnants of tropical storm Ida damaged several schools in the Bridgewater-Raritan district so badly that the first day of school was pushed back in 2021.

Crim Primary School, Hamilton Primary School, and the Middle School were damaged by the recent storm and were in need of varying levels of remediation. Read More: Flood Damages Bridgewater Schools, Pushes Back Start Date

The Middle School was hit the hardest with several classrooms, the gym, the main office suite, and the auditorium requiring extensive remediation. Read More: Bridgewater Middle School To Reopen Monday After Flooding Damage

The funding awarded on Wednesday to the district is provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and will be used to repair floor tiles, cover base molding, gym floors and playground tiles in two primary schools and the district’s middle school.

The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is the largest district in Somerset County – it serves around 8,800 students.

"The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District has no comment at this moment," said the district to Patch when asked for comment on the funding.

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