NJ gets $10M more for Ida survivors whose homes repeatedly flood

New Jersey will receive $10 million of a $60 million federal allocation, announced Monday, designed to help four states hit particularly hard by Hurricane Ida and its aftermath expedite mitigation grants to victim homeowners.

The "Swift Current" initiative is a component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed under President Joe Biden, according to a release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The law earmarks a total of $3.5 billion in Flood Mitigation Assistance grants over five years.

New Jersey was selected for this tranche along with Louisiana, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, FEMA said, because those states had "the highest number of unmitigated severe repetitive loss and repetitive loss properties insured under the National Flood Insurance Program."

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In short, Ida survivors with repetitively flooded homes may qualify to have those homes bought out, demolished, raised, or relocated.

Buildings must be ensured through the NFIP to be eligible, and at least 40% of the total benefits will go to disadvantaged communities as per the Biden administration's Justice40 initiative.

The remnants of Ida that hit New Jersey on Sept. 1, 2021 were responsible for at least 30 deaths in the Garden State.

The application period opens April 1 and closes Oct. 3. For more information, click here.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

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