UPDATE: Tuesday, Sept. 7, 7:30 a.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — President Joe Biden will visit Manville, New Jersey, in Somerset County, on Tuesday to view flood damage there from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that blew through the region last week.
The president approved a major disaster declaration for Gloucester County and five other counties in New Jersey. That means anyone affected by the storms can get help for short-term housing, repairs or low-cost loans.
The storms and their aftermath are blamed for at least 50 deaths in the region. More than two dozen people died in New Jersey.
Biden will also visit the borough of Queens in New York City.
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The original story follows:
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for the state of New Jersey after the remnants of Ida brought intense tornadoes and severe flooding to the region.
Gov. Phil Murphy toured more of the wreckage in Lambertville Monday morning, walking up and down several muddied streets and listening to the needs of the community from Mayor Julia Fahl. She said more than half of the homes in the area had some water damage, while 127 properties suffered severe water damage.
“This is a city-wide event. We’ve never experienced a natural disaster like this before,” she said, which is why the latest step taken by the president is critical.
“The major disaster declaration means individuals are now eligible for money in those counties,” said Murphy.
Residents in the six hardest-hit counties — Gloucester, Hunterdon, Bergen, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset — can receive grants for temporary housing and home repairs as well as loans for uninsured property losses.
Any little bit will help, said Nick Cepparulo, whose entire house was knocked off its foundation by floodwaters and pushed into the nearby creek. He and his family, including young kids, evacuated safely ahead of time.
“Mix of emotions — certainly we went through sadness and there was some anger after that. Right now, we’re taking things day by day. We’re constantly reminding ourselves that we’re lucky that everyone was safe,” he said.
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“What we lost is certainly material possessions and we have a good support system here. We’ll be all right, we just need a little help getting there.”
Nothing can be fixed overnight, Murphy added, but he was inspired by the community members who swiftly came out to lend a hand and clear the massive amount of debris. He’s hoping for real climate change solutions, as is Fahl.
“This is not just about building flood barriers,” Fahl said. “This is about long-term sustainable infrastructure to ensure that cities like Lambertville can continue to exist.”
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Biden will visit flood-damaged Manville in Somerset County on Tuesday, along with Queens, New York.