NEW JERSEY (WCBS 880) — President Joe Biden approved both New York and New Jersey's requests for major disaster declarations over the devastation of Ida, unlocking millions in federal relief for the states.
The White House approved the declarations over the holiday weekend for New York's outer boroughs boroughs and Westchester county. In New Jersey, the declaration applies to Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties — all regions badly ravaged by flooding.
Seventeen people died in New York on top of another 27 deaths in New Jersey. New York also suffered $50 million in damages to property and infrastructure — with 1,200 homes substantially impacted, according to Hochul.
"I saw the devastation of New Yorkers who lost so much from this storm, and I pledged that we would do everything in our power to help them rebuild," Hochul said in a statement. "I thank President Biden and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell for their swift approval of a Major Disaster Declaration, which provides a promise that we will build back better and stronger."
Federal assistance includes temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for property loss and other business-owner-oriented programs, according to the White House.
“We will now have access to essential federal support to help New Jeresyans recover from Tropical Storm Ida,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted. “Grateful for @POTUS's swift response.”
Biden's announcement immediately drew the anger from other regions of New Jersey left off the initial declaration. Steven Fulop, the mayor of Jersey City, called for the governor to work with the feds to broaden the declaration's scope.
"I don't know how you can say that Hudson County wasn't amongst the most impacted," Fulop told WCBS 880. "We're adjacent to New York City, which everybody acknowledges had huge disaster and they gave money to Bergen County as well which surrounds us as well. So you can't say that Ida miraculously decided just to skip over a county adjacent to both Bergen and New York City. So we should've been included in the first round, I'm hopeful that we will get included, our residents really need the help."
Biden plans to tour areas of Queens and Manville, New Jersey, on Tuesday. Murphy said in the meantime he would work to try to get more counties funding.
"This is the first six (counties), the most obvious six but not necessarily the last six and so we're going to stay in there fighting to get other counties added to that list," Murphy said at a news conference. "The president is visiting tomorrow. This is obviously a topic of conversation that I will have with him."
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said the funds are sorely needed — that ongoing crises like the coronavirus pandemic have compounded the need for public support.
"There's already been an increase in the need for food security based on the COVID crisis when people lost their jobs; our various food pantries are showing a big jump up already," Latimer said. "This now will be astronomical in the next few days."
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