FEMA Out Inspecting Hudson County Tuesday, Secaucus Mayor Says

SECAUCUS, NJ — Workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are in Hudson County Tuesday, surveying the flood damage tropical storm Ida left on the area, according to Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli.

A spokesman for FEMA confirmed to Patch that federal workers were out in the field Tuesday with the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, conducting preliminary damage assessments.

Gonnelli also said he is "very confident" that FEMA will add Hudson County as a "major disaster area" that qualifies for federal relief funds.

"We had a conference call this morning with FEMA, and their staff is out in Hudson County today," Mayor Gonnelli told Patch at mid-day Tuesday. "FEMA will likely not come to Secaucus, but they are out right now inspecting damage in Hoboken, Jersey City and Bayonne."

"We hope to be added after they make that assessment," added town administrator Gary Jeffas. "FEMA is continuing their on-site assessments through this week. They need time to get through all of the towns."

Gonnelli said he was "very sure" FEMA will add Hudson County to its list, but that has not been confirmed yet. No decision or public announcement has been made by FEMA as of Tuesday afternoon.

"Keep your fingers crossed," said Gonnelli. "For now, file claims through your insurance companies and keep bringing trash out to the curb. Once FEMA steps in, which I know they will, you can apply through them."

In total, the town of Secaucus pumped 91 basements out and it looks like more than 100 Secaucus homes had flooding, although more homes are still being added to the list.

If Hudson County is added to the list, FEMA may even set up tables at the Secaucus library, as they did after Sandy, he said.

Montclair, Hoboken mayors furious Hudson County was not on FEMA's list

Many Secaucus residents suffered thousands of dollars in damage last Wednesday night, when sewers overflowed and roads and basements flooded with waist-deep, murky brown water.

And for many, the natural disaster was made worse when President Joe Biden announced Sunday that Hudson County was not on FEMA's list of "major disaster areas." The six counties that made the list were: Bergen, Gloucester (where three tornadoes occurred), Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset.

Essex County was also not on the list, nor was Union. Elected officials there were similarly outraged.

"I am shocked and angry that FEMA did not include Essex County as an area eligible for FEMA relief dollars," wrote Montclair Mayor Sean Spillar in a letter he posted publicly on his Facebook page. Montclair suffered heavy flooding in the storm.

"Needless to say, it was disappointing that Hudson County was not on this initial list," said Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. "Hoboken, and other parts of Hudson County were hit just as hard as areas in the six counties listed."

Why getting on that FEMA list matters

When flooding as serious as what happened last week occurs, its extremely helpful that American towns or counties qualify under FEMA as "major disaster areas" because residents can then apply for federal funding.

If you live or own a business in those six original counties on FEMA's list, and sustained storm-related losses, you can begin applying for assistance Tuesday, Sept. 7 by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362). The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.

Things FEMA will help pay for include home repairs, temporary housing, low-cost loans and other programs to help recover from the effects of the storm.

Meanwhile, the state of New Jersey launched this data portal for people outside of the six counties. This is so FEMA can collect info. on the damages and determine whether to add more counties to its list.

The state portal will record basic information including name, location, damages and cost, and need. So start recording your damages here: nj.gov/ida and damagenj-njoem.hub.arcgis.com

Initial Patch report: Secaucus Residents: 'This Is Sandy 2.0' (Sept. 1)

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