On September 1st, the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought historic rain and flooding to New Jersey, causing widespread devastation to communities, homes, and businesses. As part of the ongoing relief efforts, my office has dedicated this page to sharing important information as well as state and federal resources available to those impacted by the storm. For specific information related to your municipality and county, we encourage you to monitor updates from your county emergency management offices. We will regularly update this page as additional information and resources become available; in the meantime, my office also stands ready to assist you and your loved ones in any way possible.
On September 6, 2021, President Biden approved Major Disaster Declarations for New Jersey. The incident period for both declarations is from September 1-3, 2021, and authorizes FEMA to provide federal disaster assistance to impacted areas. Visit FEMA’s official NJ Hurricane Ida Disaster Page here: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4614
The type of federal assistance available in New Jersey may vary depending on your county and whether your county was officially declared a major disaster. The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM), a state office, is working with FEMA to conduct preliminary damage assessments in counties all over New Jersey to determine which counties should qualify for a MDD. Once preliminary damage assessments are completed in a given county, the NJOEM will submit an application to FEMA requesting the declaration. FEMA will then review the request and determine whether the request is approved. FEMA and NJOEM continue to conduct these assessments and are approving qualifying counties on a rolling basis.
Updated: 9/19/2021
*NOTE: Additional MDD Counties will be announced on a rolling basis. Please continue to check back for updates.
**Source: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4614/designated-areas
Federal disaster assistance from FEMA may be available for certain expenses which are not covered by insurance policies (Homeowner, Renter, Flood, etc.) or from active Voluntary Agencies/Mass Care (emergency food, shelter, clothing, medical, etc.). New Jersey residents affected by Hurricane Ida are advised to contact their insurance company and file a claim for disaster-caused damage. For residents in counties with major disaster declarations, this can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the impact of Hurricane Ida and make their homes livable. Please view the below fact sheets for information on the different types of assistance.
If/when your county receives a Major Disaster Declaration, you may apply for individual assistance from FEMA. Please be sure to read the above Sequence of Delivery Fact Sheet.
For individuals, determine if you are eligible and apply in any one of these 3 ways:
When you apply for assistance, have the following information readily available:
In addition to applying for federal assistance, you can report damage caused by the storm to the State of New Jersey by visiting https://nj.gov/ida. Residents outside of the already designated MDD Counties can use this state-operated portal to record name, location, damages, cost, and need. This portal is NOT the same for applying for federal assistance from FEMA or any other federal agency.
In addition to FEMA assistance programs, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, businesses of any size, and most nonprofits. Similar to FEMA claims, SBA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. Homeowners and renters who are referred to the SBA may complete the loan application even if they decide not to take it in order to remain eligible for additional FEMA programs. SBA loans may include:
For businesses of any size and most nonprofits, loans up to $2 million for property damage are available.
For small businesses, those engaged in aquaculture, and most nonprofits, those engaged in aquaculture and most nonprofits, loans up to $2 million is available for working capital needs even if there was no property damage, with a $2 million maximum loan for any combination of property damage and working capital needs.
For homeowners: loans up to $200,000 is available to repair or replace their primary residence. For homeowners and renters: up to $40,000 is available to replace personal property, including vehicles.
For questions and assistance completing an application, call 800-659-2955 or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. The SBA will answer specific questions about how a disaster loan may help each survivor recover from the disaster damage
Survivors of Hurricane Ida are living in an area designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual or public assistance (Major Disaster Declarations) may have until January 3, 2022 to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments which had been due starting on Sept. 1, 2021.
For more information, visit the IRS disaster relief page. Taxpayers who live outside the disaster area but need tax relief assistance should contact the IRS at 1-866-562-5227.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages for borrowers impacted by Hurricane Ida. You can find more information on mortgage relief and other disaster for homeowners from HUD here, and homeowners can apply for FEMA disaster assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov and should also file a claim with their insurance provider.
See also:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a waiver to allow SNAP recipients in designated counties to purchase hot foods with SNAP benefits through Sept. 30, 2021, to replace food lost as a result of Tropical Cyclone Ida. SNAP households in designated counties can also request replacement of SNAP benefits to replace food purchased with benefits that were lost as a result of power outages from Tropical Cyclone Ida. You can find more information and other updates from USDA here.
Red Cross: People in need of emergency assistance from the Red Cross can call: (800) RED-CROSS or (800) 507-6058. For people who have been displaced, please use the Red Cross website to find a shelter near you.
Donations/Volunteerism: If you wish to assist with the recovery efforts, you should check in with your local governments/orgs first, or visit FEMA’s Volunteer/Donate page.
State of New Jersey Portal: Visit the State’s central portal for Hurricane Ida information and resources, including reporting damage, recent news/announcements, hotlines, assistance kits, helpful tips, and much more: https://nj.gov/ida
For questions or to get help from Senators Booker’s office, please visit: https://www.booker.senate.gov/services/help-with-a-federal-agency or call (973) 639-8700
