Politicians Urge Action From Feds For Residents, Businesses

New Jersey politicians in separate actions Tuesday called on President Barak Obama to speed the loosening of federal purse strings to aid in the ongoing response to Hurricane Irene.

In separate letters, Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both D-N.J., urged the President to expedite a declaration of major disaster for the entire state, a move that would free up federal money to help finance the cleanup and recovery efforts in response to the weekend storm.

"Immediate federal assistance is critical to properly and fairly mitigate the financial impact of this hurricane on New Jersey residents,'' Christie said in his letter.  "This incident is of such severity and that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments.''

A similar tone was set in the letter sent by the two New Jersey Senators.

"The destruction will lead to severe hardship and the costs will be so great that many residents will not be able to rebuild their lives on their own,'' the letter reads. "Hurricane Irene caused extensive damage to public infrastructure … and local governments will face enormous challenges as they try to rebuild." 

Meanwhile, state Senator Sean Kean and Assembly members Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini in a joint release urged affective business owners to take advantage of aid programs available through the state.

Information on available state services can be found at New Jersey's Business Action Center by calling 1-866-534-7789 or through the state's business portal www.nj.gov/njbusiness, according to the release.

"Hurricane Irene tore through our towns and left some businesses with severe damages," said Rible, a Wall resident. "We want to make sure these businesses know that they do not have to cope with these damages alone or without assistance."