Governor Sherrill Requests Major Disaster Declaration and Federal Relief for Monmouth, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties for Nor’easter Recovery

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Official release

Source material from New Jersey Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.

TRENTON – Governor Sherrill yesterday sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a federal major disaster declaration for the counties of Monmouth, Atlantic, and Cape May to help these communities recover from the unusually severe Nor’easter that struck our State last month.

If a major disaster is granted, it would allow the state and impacted counties to pursue FEMA Public Assistance grants to reimburse costs related to the storm. The request also seeks Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding to support projects that strengthen communities against future storms.

“We are working to ensure our coastal communities have the resources they need to recover from the September Nor’easter,” said Governor Sherrill. “New Jersey sends billions more in federal tax dollars to Washington than we receive in return, and now we hope the Administration will do its part so these communities can rebuild. I thank OEM and our local and county partners for moving quickly to document the damage and complete the assessments needed to pursue federal assistance.”

FEMA validated preliminary damages were $13,779,935 in Cape May County, $8,469,403 in Monmouth County, and $4,726,699 in Atlantic County. All three counties greatly exceeded their per capita indicator of damage set by FEMA by between nearly three times in Monmouth County to thirty times in Cape May County.

This request follows a previous request last week by the Sherrill administration for federal assistance under Public Law 84-99 to repair eligible U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects damaged by the storm. FEMA’s Public Assistance program would help provide critical disaster relief for our damaged areas of the coast not under Army Corps authority.

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Release text attributed to New Jersey Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.