Following last weekend’s catastrophic rainfall in Northern New Jersey and at the Jersey Shore, Senator Kristin Corrado (R-Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic) is urging New Jersey’s United States Senators Bob Menendez and Corey Booker to fight for FEMA funding to help flood-ravaged communities cope with the aftermath of the storm.

“The State of Emergency Governor Murphy declared this week was a start, but it is becoming abundantly clear to us that we are not going to be able to rebuild our communities without FEMA aid,” Sen. Corrado said. “The flood damage we have seen in Little Falls, Cedar Grove, Woodland Park, Brick, and several other towns is astounding. It is time for our counterparts in Washington to step up to the plate and fight for additional funding. Scores of families have been displaced from their homes. Community centers have been destroyed. How much more proof do elected leaders need before they take action?”

At least five inches of rain fell in a single hour over the weekend in the area of Little Falls, within Senator Corrado’s Legislative District 40, causing the Peckman River to flood. Approximately 190 homes have been damaged by flooding, with at least 32 rendered uninhabitable, according to a TAP report.

The damage is also staggeringly significant in Woodland Park, also within LD-40, where 210 homes and 75 businesses suffered catastrophic flood damage. The total cost in damage in Woodland Park could total upwards of $3.5 million. Municipal facilities and community centers, such as the local Boys and Girls club and a senior center, were also seriously impacted by the storm.

Senator Corrado and her LD-40 colleagues, Assemblymen DePhillips and Rooney, have been on the ground in the wake of the storm to deliver aid and support to local residents. Earlier this week, they were joined by Governor Murphy, who declared a State of Emergency after seeing the extent of the devastation caused by the flooding.

Parts of the Jersey Shore were also seriously impacted by the weekend rainstorms. In Brick Township, more than 100 homes near a senior community were seriously flooded, forcing the August 13 evacuation of local residents.

“I have spoken with the impacted mayors in my Legislative District and not all have heard from our United States Senators. That is tremendously disappointing,” Senator Corrado said. “Menendez and Booker need to get off the campaign trail and focus on what they were elected to do – help the people they serve in times of crisis. I stand ready and willing to do whatever I can to help New Jersey storm survivors rebuild their homes and their lives. I hope that our U.S. Senators will fight for the funding our residents need to do that. It’s the right thing to do.”