Obama Approves Disaster Relief For South Jersey Towns Hard Hit By Last Month's Storms
By David Madden
WASHINGTON (CBS) -- The White House has approved New Jersey's request for federal disaster relief for four South Jersey counties hammered by a storm last month that left some 300,000 people in the dark, many of them for days.
Last month's storm cost municipalities and counties more than 15 million dollars to clean up. This declaration will allow FEMA to reimburse those costs at the rate of 75 cents on the dollar. South Jersey Assemblyman John Burzichelli was among those asking for quick action.
"It can never come fast enough," Burzichelli told KYW Newsradio. "We would have liked to have had it the day afterwards but as these things work, they take a little bit of time."
Some local officials blasted the Christie Administration for what they saw as slow response to the storm. Among them, South Jersey Congressman Donald Norcross. "We turned up the heat on them," he said. " Unfortunately we had to do it. The good news is that it got done."
It took the Governor's office three weeks to get the information together for FEMA. The federal response came in nine days.
Burzichelli sees the decision from the Obama Administration as a reaffirmation of the assessments made by local officials after the June 23rd "macroburst" storm.
"For those on the ground who said early on that we have damage here and we're going to need help, certainly in excess of what the local resources can really handle, they are vindicated by this process," he said.
But Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties will have to wait awhile for their assistance, as well as municipalities. Some towns will have to borrow money to help make ends meet until those checks arrive.
This declaration does not provide help for homeowners and small businesses affected by the storm. Norcross is urging anyone needing help to contact his office, suggesting they might be eligible for low interest federal loans.
The state assessment determined that most private businesses and homeowners were covered by their own insurance.
The Governor's office, in a press release announcing the White House decision, noted that their office of Emergency Management will continue to coordinate recovery efforts.
