$9.2 Million in Sandy Relief Aid Approved for Belmar, Marlboro and State

Wednesday, three grants totalling more than $9.2 million were approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help cover the cost of public assistance and debris removal related to Hurricane Sandy.

The funding will be used to reimburse a significant percentage of costs incurred by Belmar and Marlboro Township as well as the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. 

According to a release from Sen. Frank Lautenberg's office Wednesday afternoon, Belmar will receive $4,062,468 for emergency debris removal to clear roadways for emergency vehicles in the aftermath of Sandy.

The total cost of the shore town's public assistance project was $5.4 million.

Marlboro is slated to receive $1,665,172 for its approximately $2.2 million total cost of emergency debris removal.

"The removal of debris from our communities is one of the ways our residents psychologically recover and return to a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives after the storm," Gov. Chris Christie said in a release. "I thank FEMA for continuing to work with New Jersey’s communities and municipalities to quickly and safely undertake these cleanup efforts, not just in our streets, parks, and downtowns, but also in the front and back yards of our homes."

The funding approved for the state's OEM is $3.5 million and will reimburse the agency for disaster management and recovery coordination efforts after the storm. 

Lautenberg, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds FEMA, said in a release that this recent approval of funding is just the start. 

“These federal grants are an important start,  and now more than $60 billion in emergency federal recovery aid has been signed into law, New Jersey and the region will be able to move more quickly in rebuilding  and preparing for the next storm,” he said.

Of the $60.2 billion in Sandy aid, $11.48 billion is for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which supports the grants announced today.