Politics & Government

FEMA Issues Federal Disaster Declaration For Union County

Residents will now be eligible for funding to repair homes that sustained damage in last week's hurricane.

One week after Hurricane Irene barreled through the Northeast, FEMA has issues a Federal Disaster Declaration for Union County, Cranford Mayor Dan Aschenbach said Sunday afternoon. 

On Sunday, Assembly Conference Leader Jon Bramnick learned that the federal government has expanded the federal disaster declaration to include Union County.  This change makes residents and business owners eligible for individual, direct federal disaster relief assistance to cover damages caused by .

"This will be an important step to help our residents get their lives back to order," Aschenbach said Sunday, just minutes after President was scheduled to leave New Jersey after spending part of the day touring Paterson and parts of the state that also suffered severe damage due to Irene.

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Although Union County - and Springfield in particular - was hit hard when the weekend hurricane barreled through the Northeast, FEMA failed to issue a Federal Disaster Declaration in the days following the storm. Through the designation, municipalities that sustained damage by Hurricane Irene will become eligible for disaster funds including grants for those who experienced flood damage.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management  Agency  met with Union County officials Friday to get a first-hand  look at parts of Union County that suffered severe damage from Hurricane Irene.  County and FEMA representatives were joined by  representatives from the State’s Office of Emergency Management and Department of Transportation.

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Funding through FEMA cannot be obtained by a municipalities until a Federal Disaster Declaration is issued by the agency. Making such a declaration begins after the governor submits an official disaster request to FEMA, inclding the estimated cost of damages sustained by the storm. The process takes several days and involves teams of FEMA engineers who must assess damage to homes, roads, bridges and other structures. The Cranford mayor said that part of the process is already complete.

To apply for assistance through FEMA, residents can go to http://www.disasterassistance.gov/


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