NJ OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RELEASE:

LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL TEAMS CONTINUE TO ASSESS IDA DAMAGE
Experts looking at seven counties designated as ‘State of Emergency’ by Gov. Corzine

West Trenton, NJ—Nov. 19, 2009— Teams of county officials, state emergency management experts, and federal partners continue fanning out across Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington, Cumberland and Middlesex counties this week to perform Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) on the effects of Tropical Storm Ida in New Jersey.

In addition to local county officials, the PDA teams consist of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs, the Unites States Army Corps of Engineers, the Small Business Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Together, these agencies will perform thorough inspections of storm damage and gather as much hard data as possible across all counties designated as part of a State of Emergency by New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine last week. The emergency Executive Order allows state agencies to reassign staff and resources to be quickly deployed to the impacted areas and link with FEMA personnel to determine eligibility for federal assistance. Teams will look at public infrastructure and individual property damage. The assessment is expected to continue through this weekend and, based on the information gathered, Governor Corzine may ask the federal government for assistance through FEMA.

Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, as well as FEMA officials urged residents to assist the teams by following specific procedures. “The first thing residents should do is contact their insurance agents, carefully document damages, and coordinate with their county and local emergency management office so that officials are aware of damages,” said Fuentes.

No decision will be made on FEMA assistance until all information is analyzed and forwarded to Governor Corzine with recommendations. PDAs are not expected to be complete before next week. Most beaches in New Jersey are the responsibility of the state through the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers. Questions on beach replenishment should be addressed to the NJ DEP or the Corps of Engineers at 917-790-8007.