Declaration makes state eligible for federal grants, low-interest loans and other programs to rebuild and recoup losses Watch video
President Obama declared Wednesday what much of the state has known for days: New Jersey is a disaster area in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
The official disaster declaration signed by the president makes the state eligible for federal grants, low-interest loans and other programs to rebuild and recoup losses after the hurricane. Obama also announced he will travel to flood-ravaged Paterson on Sunday to view some of the damage that has crippled parts of the state.
Two of Obama’s cabinet members — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate — arrived in New Jersey Wednesday to get a first-hand look at the flood damage.
"This is as bad as I’ve seen, and I’ve been in eight states that have been impacted by Irene," Napolitano said while visiting Paterson.
Within moments of learning via cell phone that Obama had signed the disaster declaration, Gov. Chris Christie and federal officials began giving FEMA’s phone number and website address to flood-displaced residents gathered on a Paterson street corner.
"Get on the phone now," Christie told one woman who asked if she could get reimbursed for spoiled food in her freezer. "Get your name in there now. Apply for it now."
But many New Jerseyans who have spent days coping with power outages, flooded houses and blocked roads remain frustrated.
Earlier in the day, Christie and federal officials were heckled at an afternoon press conference at a Lincoln Park fire station by one of the more than 50 residents who showed up to hear them speak.
"Fix the rivers and the dams, not the dog and pony show!" one woman shouted.
Obama’s disaster declaration is expected to speed federal money to the region. Under the order:
• Financial help for individuals and homeowners is available in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties.
• Money for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged public facilities will be available in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
• All counties will be eligible for federal grant money to "prevent or reduce long term risk to life and property from natural hazards," according to the order.
• Individuals and business owners can begin applying for assistance by registering online at disasterassistance.gov, by web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling (800) 621-FEMA (3362).
Meanwhile, New Jersey’s death toll from the storm remained at eight Wednesday as police released the identity of a man who died in the flooding in Lawrence Township.
Cesar Ortiz, 50, was swept away after he opened a manhole cover in an attempt to drain two to three feet of water from property at his plant nursery, police said. After an eight-hour search, Ortiz was found Tuesday at the end of the sewer line at the Ewing-Lawrence Sewerage Authority treatment plant on Whitehead Road.
One of the first hurricane victims was also laid to rest Wednesday. Princeton emergency medical technician Michael Kenwood died Sunday trying to reach a submerged car in Princeton Township.
There were small victories around the state Wednesday.
NJ Transit rail service was restored between Trenton and New Brunswick on the busy Northeast Corridor Line and between Little Falls and Mountain Lakes on the Montclair-Boonton Line. And a northbound travel lane was opened on Interstate 287 in Boonton, where the raging Rockaway River collapsed a section of the road and shut down a major commuting route in America’s most congested state.
Still, many major roadways remained closed or clogged with traffic.
Routes 46 and 23 were still shut down in Wayne, and ramp closures between Parsippany-Troy Hills and Wayne left Interstate 80 a traffic nightmare, with delays of up to an hour during yesterday’s morning commute.
Sinkholes caused detours and traffic shifts in Roxbury Township and Somerville.
Though all of New Jersey’s rivers have crested and started to recede, the Passaic River continued to torment parts of North Jersey. Residents in Wallington in Bergen County got a double dose of the flood, cleaning up once from it — only to have the Passaic River spill its banks again.
More than 150,000 customers were still without power Wednesday night, many for the fourth or fifth day in a row. In Sussex County alone, 17,000 homes remained without power and the hurricane caused damage in excess of $14 million, according to preliminary estimates released by Capt. George Kately of the county’s Division of Emergency Management.
"Some roads are closed — because the road isn’t there anymore," Kately said.
Across the state, the clean-up continued.
In Manville in Somerset County, a red layer of dried mud covered the streets next to the Raritan River. Many streets were lined with piles of scrapped drywall and waterlogged possessions.
Nancy Trautman said she lost some of her most prized belongings — family photos, Christmas ornaments and toys for her 3-year-old foster daughter — when floodwaters surged into the basement of her apartment.
"I didn’t have much," Trautman said. "But what I did have, I treasured."
Gary Garwacke, Manville’s administrator, said about 40 homes were reported to have structural damage to their foundations.
Electrical power has been restored throughout much of the town, he said. However, the borough’s Lost Valley section — appropriately named this week — hasn’t completely dried out and largely remains without power.
In Lincoln Park, about 100 people remained in a shelter in the Police Athletic League building. Each had a story to tell.
George Smith had tied a boat to the back of his home so he, his wife and 14-year-old daughter could escape if floodwaters rose. They have lived in Lincoln Park for 30 years and never left for a flood. They thought this time would be no different.
They were wrong.
"It started pouring in — like someone had a hose in the living room," Smith said.
He checked outside, but his boat had filled with water and sunk. The Smiths spent the next 20 hours cooped up in their attic, awaiting rescue.
Wayne Wintemberg owns Wolfson’s General Market on the Wayne-Lincoln Park border. The water used to stop in his lot, and residents would flock to his store to stock up when their homes flooded.
But this time his store flooded with more than 3 feet of water.
"It’s overwhelming," Wintemberg said. "I go through stages. Some stages, all I want to do is cry."
By Mike Frassinelli and Ginger Gibson/The Star-Ledger
Staff writers Kelly Heyboer, Eugene Paik, Dan Goldberg and Joe Moszczynski and the Trenton Times contributed to this report.