Politics & Government
FEMA's Union County Disaster Relief Designation Could Come This Evening
FEMA and county officials toured towns affected by flood damage earlier today.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency could add Union County to its list of New Jersey counties declared eligible for FEMA disaster relief as early as this evening, according to Summit City Administrator Chris Cotter.
“The only reason Union County has not been designated for funding yet is because it has not been fully evaluated yet,” Cotter said. "I fully expect it will happen."
Representatives from FEMA met with Union County officials today and got 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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Cotter said that to be included in the FEMA declaration requires a visual inspection and some areas were not accessible until today.
Assuming Union County’s inclusion, municipalities ravaged by Hurricane Irene will then become eligible for disaster funds including grants for those who experienced flood and hurricane damage, Cotter said.
Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“I suspect that there will be substantial damages claimed for Irene,” Cotter said. In Summit, "the costs associated with the response and cleanup - we have had some vehicles damaged and we have additional street cleaning equipment that we brought in to augment our fleet. All of that would be eligible.”
In order for a state, county, township or resident to receive FEMA funding, a Federal Disaster Declaration must be issued by the federal agency. Such a declaration can only be made after the governor submits an official disaster request to FEMA that includes the estimated cost of damages sustained by the storm. Providing an accurate statewide report to FEMA takes several days as crews of engineers must assess structural damage to homes, bridges, dams, highways and other structures, according to a county news release issued this week.
Public utility companies also must document any damage to poles, wires and substations. In addition, government agencies must calculate the actual costs of providing additional public safety services during the preparation, response and recovery efforts caused by Irene.
Union County residents who wish to receive automatic notification of FEMA disaster declaration announcements can register online to join Union County’s emergency notification and alert system, Union County First Alert, by visiting www.ucfirstalert.org.