Official Site of The State of New Jersey

The Hurricane Ida Action Plan explains in detail how the State of New Jersey will use $228,346,000 in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds that come from the federal government to help households and communities recover from Hurricane Ida.

A copy of the Hurricane Ida Action Plan is posted on this webpage. It is available in English and Spanish. If you need a copy in a different language, you may request language translation services. These translation services are available free of charge. For more information, please call 1-800-822-5552.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) recognizes that Hurricane Ida had a devastating effect on households, individuals, and communities and is committed to helping them recover by offering a wide range of housing programs. However, our programs do not include assistance for losses related to automobiles as it is an ineligible expense under federal regulations.

There are not because equipment, home furnishings, or other personal property are generally an ineligible expense under federal regulations.

Unfortunately, repairs completed prior to the start of the housing programs described in the Hurricane Ida Action Plan cannot be reimbursed. Also, temporary housing that people paid for after Hurricane Ida cannot be reimbursed. However, if additional home repairs are needed, the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) provides grants to eligible homeowners for activities necessary to restore their storm-damaged homes. These activities include, but are not limited to, structural and utility retrofits which may include the addition of sump pumps, grading and slope stabilization, and drainage improvements. The HARP program launched on Feb. 27, 2023, and is accepting applications until May 1, 2023.

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) understands there is a need for reimbursement. If funds are available after addressing the unmet needs of those residents whose properties remain unrepaired, DCA will re-evaluate reimbursing homeowners for prior repairs. 

In the Action Plan, DCA describes the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program, which supplements rental housing costs for families impacted by Hurricane Ida to make rental housing more affordable. The program provides disaster survivors with the assistance needed to access stable and affordable rental housing while they work toward their long-term recovery. The Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) Program launched on Feb. 27, 2023, and is accepting pre-applications until June 1, 2023.   

Yes, the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) provides grants to eligible homeowners for activities necessary to restore their storm-damaged homes, including elevation and mitigation activities such as structural and utility retrofits to make the house more resistant to floods. The HARP program launched on Feb. 27, 2023, and is accepting applications until May 1, 2023.

Yes, the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program (HARP) provides grants to eligible homeowners for activities necessary to restore their storm-damaged homes, including rehabilitation, reconstruction, elevation, and/or other mitigation activities. As described in the Action Plan, DCA will prioritize unmet needs within the areas that the federal government identified as “most impacted and distressed.” These MID areas include Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties. The HARP program launched on Feb. 27, 2023, and is accepting applications until May 1, 2023. Eligible activities are further detailed in the HARP program policy, which is available on the DCA website.

In the Action Plan, DCA identified buyouts of flood‐prone properties among its housing needs. The Blue Acres Program is a voluntary buyout and incentive program to be administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Blue Acres buys out residential homes with both State and federal funding. Buyouts may include acquisitions of properties located in a floodway, floodplain, or other Disaster Risk Reduction Area that reduce the risk from future flooding.  The State will prioritize unmet needs within the areas that the federal government identified as “most impacted and distressed.” These MID areas include Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties.

Yes, the Resilient Communities Program provides funding for infrastructure projects such as drainage improvements designed to support communities as they recover from Hurricane Ida and work to mitigate future risks. DCA wants individual eligible communities to determine the best projects to fit the needs of their communities and then apply for them. This competitive application program will focus on communities within the areas that the federal government identified as “most impacted and distressed.” These MID areas include Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Somerset, and Union counties. Eligible activities will be further detailed in the program guidelines, which will be available on the DCA website.

The Hurricane Ida Action Plan was approved by HUD at the end of 2022. On Feb. 27, 2023, DCA launched three disaster recovery programs for renters and homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Ida. Additional programs are being developed and will open later in 2023. Information about the programs will be available on the DCA website as it becomes available.