Politics & Government
Sen. Corrado Joins Call To Get FEMA Funds To Essex County
Sen. Kristin Corrado, a Republican from NJ-40, said she is "shocked and disappointed" the county isn't on FEMA's disaster list.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Another elected official in New Jersey has joined the effort to get federal hurricane relief funds to Essex County.
On Thursday, Sen. Kristin Corrado, called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare Essex and Morris counties major disaster areas so that residents could receive emergency relief funding.
Corrado, a Republican, represents the state’s 40th district, which includes Cedar Grove in Essex County.
Find out what's happening in Montclairfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to Corrado, FEMA approved a major disaster declaration for six counties in New Jersey on Sept. 6: Somerset, Passaic, Middlesex, Hunterdon, Gloucester and Bergen. The declaration allows individuals living within the six counties to register for direct assistance for Ida-related recovery by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov. Assistance includes grants for home repairs or temporary housing and low-cost loans for uninsured property loses.
But as of Thursday – despite a fact-finding mission from FEMA officials who hit the ground for a tour of the area this week– that list still didn’t include Essex County.
Find out what's happening in Montclairfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- See related article: Essex County Not On FEMA Disaster List For Ida Federal Aid
Corrado is among several elected officials that have urged FEMA to reconsider their list, including several prominent Democratic Party members.
“I am shocked and disappointed that both Essex and Morris counties were not declared major disaster areas by FEMA,” Corrado said. “The damage left by Tropical Storm Ida was quite severe, and many people in those counties require substantial federal assistance for recovery efforts.”
The senator said she visited several towns in both counties to survey the damage and noticed immediately that there were “numerous” homes and small businesses that were permanently damaged from extreme flooding.
“There is absolutely no reason to exclude the people of Essex and Morris from receiving essential federal support,” Corrado said.
- See related article: FEMA Tours Essex County; There May Be Good News, Lawmaker Says
- See related article: In Ida's Wake: Drone Captures Videos Of 2 Rivers In Essex County
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
