By JAIMIE JULIA WINTERS
winters@montclairlocal.news
Essex County did not make the list of New Jersey counties in Federal Emergency Management Agency’s major disaster declaration issued Monday, after Ida swept through the northeast last Wednesday.
It’s an omission Mayor Sean Spiller said made him “shocked and angry” in a statement released Monday.
The declaration, issued Monday morning, includes Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset counties, allowing individuals and businesses that suffered losses to apply for federal aid. It comes after President Joe Biden last Thursday issued an emergency declaration, making state and local governments in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties eligible for federal reimbursement for disaster spending.
Individuals and business owners in the six approved counties can register at disasterassistance.gov for direct assistance for Ida-related recovery. Residents can register for assistance for home repairs and temporary housing, and apply for low-cost loans.
“Given the devastation that our residents, businesses and township have experienced, it is impossible to comprehend how FEMA determined we would not be granted [assistance] from the federal government,” Spiller wrote.
Follow developing news about Ida’s impacts in Montclair
Councilman Peter Yacobellis, who has been visiting areas in Montclair affected by the storm, said Essex County could make the list in the upcoming days.
“It’s my understanding that the county is still being evaluated. On behalf of residents and businesses in Montclair who were devastated by a record 7.54 inches of rain that sent a deluge of water into schools, homes, stores and restaurants and created significant risk to life, I’m pleading with FEMA for this aid,” Yacobellis said. “The insurance marketplace has not caught up to climate change and we still have a pandemic that people and businesses are trying to survive. We need this aid.”
Homes, businesses and agencies throughout Montclair were hit hard by rising waters. Homes along Burnside Street, which is flood-prone, had several basements with floor-to-ceiling water and garages flooded out. At least one, maybe two cars were lost, Yacobellis said.
Residents along Woodmont Road and Yantacaw Brook said they also experience flooding on a regular basis, but Ida brought higher than usual flood waters into their homes.
Some residents on Cross Street off of Orange Road had floor-to-ceiling flooding in their basements, just barely sparing first floors.
Businesses such as Samba, Mesob, Efi’s Gyro and The Wine Guys on Bloomfield Avenue between North Fullerton Avenue and Park Street, many which stayed open to serve customers during the storm, were hit hard when SUV-high waters in the deck overflowed into their locations. Other businesses now recovering from Ida include Egan & Sons, Halcyon and The Max Challenge.
Not-for-profits such as Studio Playhouse, the Montclair Orchestra, Montclair Film and the Human Needs Food Pantry suffered major damage as well.
Three of Montclair’s public schools — Montclair High School, Bradford Elementary School and Hillside Elementary School — suffered severe flooding, and a tree fell on Edgemont Montessori School. A leak damaged an electrical panel in the district’s Developmental Learning Center. Montclair Kimberley Academy also reported storm damage.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. issued a statement Monday saying he was “terribly disappointed” that FEMA did not include Essex County in that day’s major disaster declaration. Gov. Phil Murphy had declared a state of emergency for all New Jersey Counties on Sept. 1.
“The storm was indiscriminate in how it destroyed businesses and residences, flooded entire downtown areas, buckled roads and took lives. We understood the severity of the storm and declared a State of Emergency prior to its arrival because we knew the aftereffects would be devastating. The tremendous losses by residents and businesses owners of Essex County should not be overlooked; we don’t deserve to be forgotten by FEMA. I stand with Gov. Murphy in demanding that Essex County become eligible for Federal disaster relief,” DiVincenzo wrote.
Murphy’s press secretary, Alyana Alfaro Post, said that a major disaster declaration was requested for the entire state and that other counties could be included at a later date.
“FEMA is in the process of assessing additional counties,” she said.
Even without the declaration, Essex County residents can begin an application for FEMA funds at nj.gov/ida. According to a press release issued this morning by the governor’s office, the state portal will “ensure that all Ida damages across all counties are evaluated for potential FEMA assistance.” The state portal will record basic information including name, location, damages and cost, and needs from impacted residents and businesses. Tips on applying can be here.
Residents can apply for assistance through the Montclair Fund for Ida Relief, started by Yacobellis. As of Monday, it had surpassed $30,000 in funds raised, Yacobellis said. He partnered with Montclair Mutual Aid and the Montclair Foundation to oversee the funds.
The funds will be distributed as follows, he said:
- $10,000 has been set aside for debris removal and clean-up services for households that make less than $100,000 and do not have or were declined insurance coverage. This is limited to 20 households, with $500 grants going to each. As of Sunday evening, payments are being processed for nine applicants, totaling $4,500. The application can be found at forms.gle/T1GbgHrZgXc1Abwo7.
- $10,000 has also been earmarked for loss of personal property for low-income tenants who do not have rental insurance or have policies that don’t cover these types of losses. Cash grants of $500 are given to cover the cost of replacing necessary personal property, defined by FEMA as items such as furniture, clothing and school supplies, among other things. As of Sunday evening, $2,500 had already been received by five qualified tenants with an additional $1,500 in the pipeline for an additional three. The application for this program can be found at forms.gle/or1iDZmmZHBbSPqc8
Another $5,000 had been set aside for small business support, $3,000 for Dumpster rentals, $2,250 for twn 1,500 square-foot capacity dehudifiers and $1,000 to support the Northeast Earth Coalition’s Little Free Pantry Program with food and personal hygiene supplies.
A block devastated by Ida as flooded garage overflows
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