As some places were still digging out, a first step was taken today for towns and counties to get federal aid for the costs of fighting last week’s snowstorm. Federal emergency management officials met with their New Jersey counterparts to begin assessing the blizzard that paralyzed the central coastal region of the state. Roads in many communities in Monmouth...
As some places were still digging out, a first step was taken today for towns and counties to get federal aid for the costs of fighting last week’s snowstorm.
Federal emergency management officials met with their New Jersey counterparts to begin assessing the blizzard that paralyzed the central coastal region of the state.
Roads in many communities in Monmouth and Ocean counties were not cleared of snow even by today.
Inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not immediately visit the hard-hit areas but may do that later this week, possibly as early as Wednesday, said Nick Morici, spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Management.
"They’re meeting at our office. We’ll tell them what we’ve been seeing, what we’ve been hearing from the counties," Morici said.
This would mark the fourth time FEMA inspectors have toured New Jersey counties in the past year. Previous visits came after floods and nor’easters ravaged the Shore and sections of northern New Jersey in December 2009 and last March.
Unlike those storms, damage from snowstorms isn’t always immediately visible, Morici said. The emergencies this time came more in the amount of resources that had to be deployed, the number of people who had to be rescued and temporarily sheltered, and the hefty bills that come with those tasks. But, he said, FEMA inspectors also will watch rivers and other waterways that may flood as snow piles melt.
As the cleanup continues, another weather front is expected to move in Friday and possibly dump more snow on parts of the state by the weekend. The National Weather Service said it is too early to tell exactly where the system will move and how much snow it will generate.
Wall Township Mayor George Newberry said he welcomes the FEMA inspectors. Schools in his community were closed today while crews continued to clear lots and walkways for students. Schools had not been a high priority in the cleanup effort last week because they were closed for the holidays.
Newberry said the volume of snow put so much stress on the high school roof that inspectors checked the building’s integrity. The township’s schools were to reopen today.
"If we can get federal aid from FEMA to help us offset some of the costs and look at the essence of the storm to see what caused it to be so different from the others, then it would be a positive thing," he said.
To approve reimbursement of costs associated with the storm, the federal government requires a snowfall be a record or near-record. The National Weather Service has said the storm, which dumped upwards of 30 inches on some areas, set records in New Jersey.
The federal government also takes into account emergency protective measures used, including snow removal, snow dumps, deicing and salting and sanding of roads and other facilities.
Many towns worked snowplow crews around the clock for days to open up roads. Route 18 in Monmouth County was closed for three days because more than 100 vehicles were stuck in snowdrifts and eventually abandoned by their drivers.
Emergency crews rescued scores of people stranded in their vehicles on state, county and local roadways. Some were housed in temporary shelters.
In Brick Township, where some residents waited four days to have their streets plowed just once, public schools had delayed openings today.