On March 22, 2022—six months after Hurricane Ida blew through New Jersey—the opens in a new windowDepartment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) finally announced the allocation of funds for New Jersey’s Ida recovery. These Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Funds (CDBG-DR) will go towards helping Ida survivors and communities who were affected by Ida rebuild and recover.

This is both good news and bad news. The good news is that New Jersey can finally start planning grant programs to help families and communities recover and be better prepared for future storms. 

The bad news is that New Jersey is only getting $228 million. Through our hard earned knowledge going through Superstorm Sandy, we know that this is not enough funding to get Ida families home and whole. Additionally, we have since learned from the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) that this is only enough to cover 60% of all Hurricane Ida need in New Jersey. 

NJOP members are deeply concerned about the lack of funding for Ida families. As shared by Anne Ryan, an Ida survivor and resident of Rochelle Park, NJ: 

“We are concerned, though, that the $228,346,000 announced may not be enough to thoroughly and fairly address Ida’s impact. This is the third time my home has flooded – and I have been doing everything I can to secure funds to lift or mitigate my home and to date have not been able to. I do not believe it is fair that flood victims should have to compete for funding.”