Union County Added To FEMA Disaster List For Hurricane Ida Funds

UNION COUNTY, NJ — After Union County suffered millions of dollars in damage from floods during Tropical Depression Ida, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday that Union is among four New Jersey counties to be eligible for a second round of funding.

As of Friday, FEMA's official disaster declaration list now includes Union, Hudson, Essex, and Mercer counties. Officials in all four counties were frustrated last week when their cities and towns were left off the initial list.

Apply for assistance here, or learn more about the Individual Assistance program.

School For Disabled Was Damaged, And More

Among the damage, Westfeld Mayor Shelley Brindle said that a school for disabled children suffered more than $3 million in damage, and some students may have to be relocated. In fact, the day of the rainstorm, three custodians had to rush to the roof and be rescued as floodwaters rose. And the city also had to move dozens of cars. READ MORE: School For Disabled Children Suffered 'Catastrophic' Flood

Brindle had told residents and business owners, "As a reminder, take pictures of any and all damage you incurred and save every receipt. Please upload your damage information to this form so we can aggregate it for the state. I'll provide FEMA and other relevant information as it becomes available."

Some Union County communities had so much damage, their neighborhoods attracted trash pickers and scrappers, including Westfield and Clark. READ MORE: Trash Pickers, Scrappers Reported In Clark After Ida Flooding

Communities near or containing rivers, such as Summit and Cranford, were under a flood warning for days after the storm dissipated.

See prior Union County coverage of Tropical Depression Ida here.

Want breaking news when it happens in your Union County town? Sign up for occasional breaking news alerts, and/or get a free daily newsletter at 6 a.m. each morning with local news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Patch editor Eric Kiefer contributed to this story.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.