Middletown, Rumson and Sayreville are among five towns that will receive more than $14 million in federal Sandy aid to reimburse the municipalities for the costs of debris cleanup and removal in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.
The grants, which total $14,130,868, are provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Grant Program.
Middletown will receive $6,363,346; Rumson will receive $2,973,299; Readington Township will receive $2,223,025; Newark will receive $1,327,768; and Sayreville will receive $1,243,430. “Officials in municipalities throughout the state moved quickly to clean up superstorm Sandy’s wreckage, and this federal funding will help our communities cover their costs,” the late U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), a former member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and co-author of the Sandy relief bill, said in a recent statement. Lautenberg died on June 3.
“We’ll keep working hard so every New Jersey community has the resources it needs to recover and ensure it is ready for a future storm or emergency event.” “New Jersey communities that felt superstorm Sandy’s impact were resilient and spent time, money and energy rebuilding,” Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said.
“The over $14 million in federal Sandy relief will help these communities recoup some storm-related costs and also help New Jersey’s long-term recovery. This is a great step forward for these great New Jersey towns, and I will continue to fight for the federal resources we need to help all New Jersey communities rebuild even better and stronger than before the storm.” In January, President Barack Obama signed the Superstorm Sandy Supplemental Appropriations bill into law, bringing the total Sandy aid enacted by Congress to $60.2 billion. The funding package included federal aid to help homeowners, businesses and communities recover, as well as resources to rebuild coastal, transportation and water infrastructure.
Public Assistance grants are awarded by FEMA on a rolling basis after receiving applications from the state, which coordinates the process with local governments.