Gov. Chris Christie has asked President Barack Obama for a federal disaster declaration for 11 New Jersey counties, including Union, that sustained damage during a .
The late October storm dumped heavy, wet snow on the state, bringing down trees and power lines and causing widespread that lasted several days in some parts of the state.
The governor told the president that the storm's impact was more damaging to trees and power lines than Hurricane Irene. Through the disaster declaration, Christie is hoping to secure federal funding to lend financial assistance to municipalities that were forced to dip into their coffers to pay for emergency cleanup of debris as well as repair to municipal facilities that were damages when the surprise storm hit. In addition to Union County, the disaster declaration would also cover Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties.
On Nov. 7, by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assess the damag left in the storm's wake. Following the storm, Christie declared a state of emergency for the entire state.
The purpose of the assessment process was to determine the impact caused by the disaster and the subsequent needs of residents, businesses and the community as a whole. It served as the first step to applying for federal disaster funding.
Following last month's storm, state officials advised residents and business owners who have experienced property damage as a result of the storm to contact their insurance companies and open claims for damages.
