West Orange Families Still Struggling After Landslide From Ida

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The effort to aid 44 families who “became homeless overnight” after a landslide caused by Hurricane Ida continues in West Orange.

For now, many of the people displaced at 275 Northfield Avenue are living in hotels and trying to rebuild their lives the best they can. But the damage done by the landslide has left a “high risk of a further failure” according to an engineering analysis, and the structure will have to be demolished, NJ.com reported.

Last week, dozens of families who live at the apartment building were abruptly ordered to evacuate. They’ve since been able to pick up their belongings, News 12 reported.

"They were just knocking on people's doors and telling us to get out, that we had to evacuate, get as much as we can," a resident told CBS New York.

During a community meeting at the Wilshire Grand Hotel – where some of the evacuees were recently staying at the township’s expense – the property owner’s lawyer gave the residents checks for returned security deposits, October’s rent and an extra $1,250 per unit to help cover moving costs. Other evacuees were put up at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, but all were set to be moved to another local hotel, The Cambria, on Saturday, NJ.com reported.

• See related article: West Orange Apartment Building Deemed Unsafe, Residents Left In Limbo
• See related article: Mayor, Tenants To Meet To Discuss Next Steps After Evacuation

West Orange Council President Cindy Matute-Brown has been providing updates about the ongoing relief effort, which includes hotel aid from the Mayor’s Sunshine Fund.

“While our displaced residents made applications to FEMA yesterday, it will take some time to process and it is not guaranteed funding,” the councilwoman said Friday.

In the meanwhile, the displaced families have run into a laundry list of unexpected expenses, she added.

“Cooking is not an option at the hotels where they are housed, and so, meals have to be purchased,” Matute-Brown stated. “They will soon have the added expense of storage facilities, rent, and rent security deposits when they find a new place to live.”

Matute-Brown pointed out that a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help families recover. As of Tuesday, it has raised more than $5,000 from dozens of donors. See the fundraising campaign or make a donation here.

According to the organizer, Jonathan Redwine:

“As you may know, the storm and landslide above the apartments at 275 Northfield Avenue caused those structures to be deemed unsafe and more than 40 families are now displaced after they were evacuated earlier this week. Those families now face a long road to finding suitable long-term living arrangements and in the meantime, must cover extraordinary expenses that they usually would not incur. They are living in hotels at the moment and our town, including our municipal government, local religious institutions, and residents are all working very hard to help them through.”

Redwine continued:

“We have residents starting up meal services, displaced residents are applying for FEMA funding, school administrators are making sure that our students are looked after, senior services are checking on seniors who are now displaced from their apartments, and lots of folks pitching in to help, but funds are running low. We need donations to help our residents bridge the gap and get into new apartments as quickly as possible. Let’s come together and help them through. Let’s show them that they are not alone and that we are here to support them. Please give what you can so we can provide meals and cover incidental expenses that our neighbors may incur.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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