Hurricane Sandy

Disaster Unemployment Assistance Deadline Is Today

Hurricane Sandy survivors can still apply for disaster unemployment assistance.

Registration closes today, Monday, Feb. 4., for Hurricane Sandy survivors to apply for disaster unemployment assistance.   Workers can register for DUA by calling one of the following New Jersey Re-employment Call Centers: Union City: 201-601-4100 Freehold: 732-761-2020 Cumberland: 856-507-2340 Survivors can also register for DUA at njuifile.net.

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Flood-Prone Land Would Be Tax-Exempt Under New Bill

Townships wouldn't have to pay county, school and fire district property taxes.

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, R-Bergen and Passaic, and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer and Middlesex, that would exempt flood-prone properties acquired by municipalities from county, school and fire district property taxes for the following tax year, was approved by the General Assembly on Monday. Under current law, if a municipality acquires such a property after October 1, it must pay the county, school, and fire district property taxes owed for all or the remainder of the following tax year. “The flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy last year and the devastation witnessed in 2011 by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee has increased the awareness of towns that …

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Hurricane Sandy

NJ's Hurricane Sandy Assistance Reaches Nearly $800M

New Jersey residents affected by Sandy have until March 1 to register for disaster assistance.

Editor's Note: The following is a press release from FEMA While New Jersey survivors of Hurricane Sandy have until March 1 to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance, more than $780 million in disaster assistance has been approved to speed recovery. FEMA has approved more than $300 million in housing assistance for more than 52,000 people. Housing assistance includes temporary rental assistance and grants to repair and replace storm-damaged primary residences. More than $42 million has been approved to help survivors replace hurricane-damaged personal property and to help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, …

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FEMA Shows Recommended Building Information on Interactive Flood Map

Advisory maps contain recommended building elevations.

For Hurricane Sandy survivors who want to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter, knowing their risk of flooding is paramount. Property owners can find the data they need online in new advisory base flood elevation maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Advisory maps containing recommended building elevations are available for these counties: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union. To learn more, visit the following web sites:   Advisory maps show, based on the best available information, how high structures should be elevated   to minimize damage from future flood events.  The maps  show that portions of communities are in new flood zones, which may impact insurance …

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FEMA Extends Deadline for NJ Sandy Victims

Jan. 30 is the new deadline to register for disaster assistance.

The following information is provided by FEMA. Survivors of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey now have until January 30, 2013 to register for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.   People with storm losses in all counties can register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov.   Survivors also can register by phone or 711/VRS by calling 800-621-3362, TTY 800-462-7585. The toll-free telephone numbers operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week until further notice.   At the request of the state, FEMA extended the registration deadline beyond the original 60 day window due tothe magnitude of the Hurricane Sandy disaster.   The disaster registration process serves as a referral …

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Hurricane Sandy

Storm Recovery Help Still Available In Union County

Loans are available and there are two Disaster Recovery Centers still open.

The following is a press release sent by the County of Union. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds residents and small business owners that they may still be eligible for help recovering from the effects of Superstorm Sandy. “If you are still dealing with storm-related damages, I encourage you to contact the agencies that are offering these resources and find out if you are eligible,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “Both FEMA and our partners in the business community are here to lend a helping hand.” For qualified small businesses, the nonprofit Union County Economic Development Corporation (UCEDC) is offering a Storm Recovery Loan program consisting of loans of up to $15,000 at 2 percent for five years, …

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All State Residents Can Now Apply for Individual FEMA Assistance

Relief available for temporary housing, repairs, loans, etc.

Individuals in every New Jersey county are now eligible to apply for federal disaster relief, the governor's office announced Tuesday. All residents and businesses can now apply for Individual Assistance through FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The state had already been approved for Public Assistance, which is available to state and local governments as well as nonprofits. Individual Assistance relief allows residents to apply for aid including temporary housing, repair, Disaster Unemployment Assistance and Small Business Administration loans. The governor's office advises all residents who suffered damage to apply with FEMA, even if they have their own insurance. Register by calling 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 for those with …

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Hurricane Sandy

County Eligible for Increased Disaster Aid Cost Share

Federal funding has been approved on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance.

Governor Chris Christie announced that President Barack Obama has approved an adjustment of the federal cost share for Hurricane Sandy, from 75 percent to 100 percent, for 10 days (October 30th to November 9th) for emergency power restoration and emergency public transportation assistance, including direct federal assistance, for those areas of New Jersey within counties designated for public assistance.  The increased reimbursement authority is effective immediately. This increased level of federal assistance program pertains to those areas of New Jersey that were declared a federal disaster area, including Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union counties. Other forms of Category B assistance will remain …

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Hurricane Sandy

Lance To Host Mobile Office Hours In Cranford

Congressman Leonard Lance will be at the Cranford Community center Friday afternoon.

Congressman Leonard Lance and his staff will hold a mobile office in Cranford on Nov. 2 to assist Union County residents and small businesses with Hurricane Sandy disaster assistance.   The legislator will host office hours from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cranford Community Center, 220 Walnut Ave., which is also serving as a regional shelter for those displaced by Hurricane Sandy. The day before Hurricane Sandy slammed into the region, Lance met with officials in cranford and Springfield and vowed to make relief efforts a priority following the storm. At Lance’s request, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be on-hand to answer questions and help register individuals who need recovery assistance from those affected by…

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FEMA: Heed Emergency Warnings For 'Large Size' Hurricane

Impact of Hurricane Sandy expected spread over two days, bringing coastal surging, inland flooding and spot rainfalls of up to 12.

Hurricane Sandy's impact on weather along the coast and inland is expected to continue over two days, potentially bringing coastal surges of 6 to 11 feet, and rainfall of up to 12 inches at spots that could cause river and other inland flooding, federal officials said in a press conference on Sunday morning. No matter exactly where or when the hurricane makes landfall, Sandy is a large system that will create potentially life-threatening surges along hundreds of miles of coastline from North Carolina up to Cape Cod, according to spokespersons for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The hurricane's effect, already being felt in the southern part of the mid-Atlantic, will last up to a day before and after the hurricane's actual arrival…

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