FEMA Issues Federal Disaster Declaration For Union County

One week after Hurricane Irene barreled through the Northeast, FEMA has issued a Federal Disaster Declaration for Union County.

On Sunday, Assembly Conference Leader Jon Bramnick learned that the federal government has expanded the federal disaster declaration to include Union County. This change makes residents and business owners eligible for individual, direct federal disaster relief assistance to cover damages caused by .

"This will be an important step to help our residents get their lives back to order," Cranford Mayor Daniel Aschenbach said Sunday, just minutes after President was scheduled to leave New Jersey after spending the day touring Paterson and parts of the state that also suffered severe damage due to Irene.

Although Union County was hit hard when the weekend hurricane barreled through the Northeast, FEMA failed to issue a Federal Disaster Declaration in the days following the storm. Through the designation, municipalities that sustained damage from Hurricane Irene will become eligible for disaster funds including grants for those who had flood damage.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency  met with Union County officials Friday to get a first-hand look at parts of Union County that suffered severe damage from Hurricane Irene.  County and FEMA representatives were joined by representatives from the State’s Office of Emergency Management and Department of Transportation.

Funding through FEMA cannot be obtained by municipalities until a Federal Disaster Declaration is issued by the agency. Making such a declaration begins after the governor submits an official disaster request to FEMA, including the estimated cost of damages sustained by the storm. The process takes several days and involves teams of FEMA engineers who must assess damage to homes, roads, bridges and other structures.

To apply for assistance through FEMA, residents can go to http://www.disasterassistance.gov/