BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer
Jana Pennington of the Federal Emergency Management Association (above, left) is among the workers on hand at the mobile Disaster Recovery Center in Milltown. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set up shop in Milltown in response to last month’s nor’easter.
And the disaster relief workers are expected to stick around until everyone who suffered damages has had the chance to receive help.
“Anything that we can do to help people recover a little bit of money … is a big asset, and the people from FEMA have been extremely cooperative,” Mayor Gloria Bradford said.
Bradford visited the disaster recovery center (DRC) when it first opened May 6 in Borough Park, filling out her own claim for damages at her home. According to Bradford, there were fewer people there than she had expected, considering the number of homes that were damaged by the storm.
“It’s a convenient place for residents to go and fill out claims,” Bradford said.
JESSICA SMITH The center is the only one of its kind that has been set up in Middlesex County, and it is open to all New Jersey residents. More than 90 households have applied for assistance through the Milltown DRC, according to Elizabeth Childs, a public information officer for FEMA.
Due to the severity with which Middlesex County was hit by the storm, local governments within the county are eligible for a public assistance program, which helps with infrastructure repairs, Childs said.
Services offered include grants to help with losses not covered by insurance, to cover such things as temporary housing, repair, replacement and other needs. The grants do not cover items such as furniture or personal belongings that have been damaged by flooding, since the grants are designed only to restore a home to sanitary, functioning living conditions.
Volunteers are also available to assist residents in cleaning up water and mud damage in their homes. A representative of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is also on hand at the center to offer low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and small businesses.
“We basically will try to give them a loan if FEMA can’t help them,” said Pat Elliott, a customer service representative for the SBA.
John Thompson, a mitigation specialist for FEMA, is there to give residents advice on how to prepare themselves for potential disasters to come.
“I suggest ways for individuals who are affected to prevent or minimize future damage, and/or injury, in a flood,” Thompson said. “Also, we touch on the cleanup.”
Thompson said the most frequent advice he gives to people is to plan ahead for flooding by using waterproof materials, sump pumps and generators. Another important way to prepare is to create an evacuation or flood plan, listing items of importance and assigning them a numeric classification so they can be protected in times of impending disaster, Thompson said.
“At times when the adrenaline is pumping and the tension is high, it’s sometimes hard to think of these things,” Thompson said.
Flood insurance is also important, according to Thompson, though many people who assume they are not vulnerable to flooding because of the area where they live do not have it. Thompson stressed that everyone is vulnerable, because of hydraulics issues related to underground water and pumping out basements too quickly when the water level outside the home is high.
“The [residents] are very receptive, but sometimes individuals are not in the financial position to do the things I suggest,” Thompson said.
FEMA also offers mitigation grants, to help people prepare for future disasters.
Harold Van Der Ploeg was one of several Milltown residents who came to the mayor and council last month seeking answers about what types of aid would be available to them. He and his wife, Hilde, along with several of their neighbors, were able to secure grant money from FEMA to help with repairs in their homes.
“We’ve been quite pleased with them, they’ve been very helpful about it,” Van Der Ploeg said. “They’ve been very prompt, very courteous and very knowledgeable.”
FEMA will monitor the amount of traffic at the center to determine when it would be appropriate to shut it down.
“As long as the need is here, we stay,” Elliott said. “I think people don’t know we’re here.”
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. If unable to make it out to the center, residents can call the assistance hotline at (800) 621-FEMA (621-3362).