$15.6 million to help communities in Garden State to rebuild from 2011 storms
WASHINGTON, DC – October 2, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the approval of the State of New Jersey’s disaster recovery plantotaling $15.6 million in emergency aid to help communities throughout New Jersey, specifically Passaic County, to recover from Hurricane Irene. With the acceptance of this disaster plan, the real work of long-term disaster recovery throughout New Jersey can now begin.
Provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, these grants will support long-term disaster recovery efforts in local communities devastated by last year’s disasters.
“Now that these plans are in place, it’s time to get down to the real business of rebuilding the housing and infrastructure damaged by last year’s terrible storms,” said Mirza Orriols, HUD’s Acting Regional Administrator. “New Jersey and most especially Passaic County can now begin to make their neighborhoods whole again.”
On November 18, 2011, Congress appropriated $300 million in CDBG funds to support long-term disaster recovery in “the most impacted and distressed areas” throughout the nation. At that same time, Congress gave HUD the authority to allocate up to $100 million in additional CDBG funds to assist in the wake of last year’s disasters. Secretary Shaun Donovan elected to exercise HUD’s full authority by targeting the maximum amount of CDBG funding allowed toward helping states and local areas.
These funds are intended to confront unmet housing, business and infrastructure needs beyond those addressed by other forms of public and private assistance. Using a combination of federal data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), HUD identified those states and local communities most impacted and requiring the greatest assistance to recover due to the devastating tornadoes in the Southeast and Missouri; the remnants of Hurricanes Irene and Lee in the Northeast and New England; severe flooding in parts of North Dakota; and destructive wildfires in Texas.
Earlier this year, HUD allocated $15,598,506 to the State of New Jersey, at least 80 percent of which will assist Passaic County to recover from the severe impacts of Hurricane Irene. For more information, read the State of New Jersey’s disaster recovery plan.
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Contact:
Brian Sullivan
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