Emergency Management
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IMPORTANT
Federal Aid Programs For New Jersey Disaster Recovery - Gloucester City
Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Bush’s major disaster declaration,relative to the severe storms and flooding that occurred during April 14-20 2007, for New Jersey which includes Camden County, Gloucester City.
Assistance for Affected Individuals and Families Can Include as Required:
- Rental payments for temporary housing for those whose homes are unlivable. Initial assistance may be provided for up to three months for homeowners and at least one month for renters. Assistance may be extended if requested after the initial period based on a review of individual applicant requirements. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
- Grants for home repairs and replacement of essential household items not covered by insurance to make damaged dwellings safe, sanitary and functional. (Source: FEMA funded and administered.)
- Grants to replace personal property and help meet medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance or other federal, state and charitable aid programs. (Source: FEMA funded at 75 percent of total eligible costs; 25 percent funded by the state.)
- Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the disaster and who do not qualify for state benefits, such as self-employed individuals. (Source: FEMA funded; state administered.)
- Low-interest loans to cover residential losses not fully compensated by insurance. Loans available up to $200,000 for primary residence; $40,000 for personal property, including renter losses. Loans available up to $1.5 million for business property losses not fully compensated by insurance. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
- Loans up to $1.5 million for small businesses that have suffered disaster-related cash flow problems and need funds for working capital to recover from the disaster's adverse economic impact. This loan in combination with a property loss loan cannot exceed a total of $1.5 million. (Source: U.S. Small Business Administration.)
- Loans up to $500,000 for farmers, ranchers and aquaculture operators to cover production and property losses, excluding primary residence. (Source: Farm Service Agency, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.)
- Other relief programs: Crisis counseling for those traumatized by the disaster; income tax assistance for filing casualty losses; advisory assistance for legal, veterans benefits and social security matters.
How to Apply for Assistance:
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Those in the counties designated for assistance to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.
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Application procedures for local governments will be explained at a series of federal/state applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved public projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.
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FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Gloucester City Emergency Management
The Emergency Management office is responsible for preparing the City for disasters and the prevention of such.
Emergency Operations Plan
Gloucester
City has an approved Emergency Operations Plan. This plan is
reviewed annually by County and State agencies. Every three
years a prolonged and extensive review is performed by the New Jersey
State Police Office of Emergency Management. It is an all
hazards approach to planning based on an extensive yearly hazard and
vulnerability assessment.
Flooding
Relative
to flooding Gloucester City is a penisula, surrounded by water on three
sides. Our soil composition allows for rapid perculation of
water through the predominately sandy soil. The worst case
scenerio for flooding would be saturated ground with a high volume
storm occuring during a Northeastern Storm at a lunar
tide. The worst case scenerio in recent history was tropical
storm Floyd. This storm caused isolated damage to
approximately 12 homes. No reported injuries.
Although
flooding is the number cause of weather related deaths and damage they
come with at least several days to several hours of
forewarning. Gloucester City is proactive regarding planning
as the majority of our creeks share common ground with wetlands,
ballfields and parks. Our environmental utilities and public
works group do an excellent job maintaining our storm
sewers. The riverfront, having been developed by industrial
concerns for over one hundred years, has an elevated sea wall during
the City's entire boundary. The sandy soils allow the water
to perculate/drain rather rapidly. The clay/rocky soils
contributed to the recent severe flooding seen in other areas of the
region.
Generally
speaking after one tide cycle our "floods" tend to be
over. Both ends of Broadway, due primarily to their
elevations generally flood. Other than that we tend to get
soggy parks, playgrounds and ballfields as oppossed to loss of life and
property as that is what borders our waterways. This does
not mean that we do not have homes affected by flooding from time to
time but that is generally the exception, not the rule. The
aforementioned sites will provide guidance as to what our citizen can
do to limit their exposure.
In
case all else fails Gloucester City has a technical rescue and Citizen
Emergency Response Team to assist our residents in time of
need.
Please
visit www.ready.gov and www.fema.gov for family emergency planning
information. Thank you for your question and please feel
free to contact us again.
Citizen's Planning Guide Click Here to download
Pandemic Flu Information Click Here to download
For more information, go to: http://www.state.nj.us/health/flu/pandemic.shtml
Useful Links
www.njhomelandsecurity.gov
www.state.nj.us/njoem
www.state.nj.us/health
www.ready.gov
www.fema.gov