New Jersey State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Millville, is urging Gov. Chris Christie to seek federal government assistance for two South Jersey counties hit with extreme flooding from a weekend blizzard.
Senator Van Drew sent a Jan. 25 letter to the Republican governor requesting that he request disaster declaration for Cape May and Cumberland counties. The action would enable federal resources for areas hit hard by flooding from the major winter storm that struck on Jan. 23 and 24.
"Cape May County experienced some of the most severe flooding, with high tide levels above those we saw during Superstorm Sandy, and will undoubtedly need assistance to expedite recovery and help reduce the financial burden these kinds of weather events place on local governments as well as residents," wrote Senator Van Drew in his letter to Christie. "To that end, I respectfully ask that you immediately issue a request to the federal government for a Federal Disaster Declaration for Cape May County. I ask that you request the same designation for Cumberland County, as the Delaware Bayshore communities suffered substantial flooding this past weekend and still have not recovered from previous storms."
The press office for Governor Christie said in response to Van Drew's letter that preliminary and joint damage assessments to determine if Cape May and Cumberland counties meet the threshold for federal disaster declaration is underway. Christie declared a state of emergency during the blizzard that began on Friday night, but said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Monday, "there is no residual damage" and that all flooding receded Sunday morning.
