West Trenton, NJ – On Thursday March 18, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management in coordination with FEMA will begin Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDA) throughout the State to assess the recent flooding event. Joint PDAs will be conducted in Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset Counties.

The PDA process is used to determine the impact and magnitude of damage caused by a disaster. It summarizes resulting needs of individuals, businesses, public sector, and community as a whole.

Comprised of personnel from FEMA, the State's emergency management agency, Department of Human Services, Department of Community Affairs as well as county and local officials and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the PDA team will review the types of damage or emergency costs incurred by the State and the impact to critical facilities, including: public utilities, hospitals, schools, and fire and police departments. The team will also assess the impact on individuals and businesses, including the extent of the damage, the number of people displaced, and the threat to health and safety caused by the incident. Additional data from the Red Cross or other local voluntary agencies may also be reviewed. During the assessment, the team will collect eligible estimates of the expenses and damages.

PDAs are the first step in determining whether the disaster is of such severity and impact that it is beyond the capabilities of the State and the affected local governments, and that Federal assistance is necessary. The PDA is typically used as a basis for a State Governor's request for a major disaster or emergency declaration and it shows the cost of response efforts, such as emergency personnel overtime, other emergency services, and damage to public and private property is beyond State and local recovery capabilities. The President considers the PDA as one of the factors in making a determination whether to declare a major disaster or emergency in response to the Governor's request.

NJOEM and its partners are committed to work in the timeliest manner possible to complete the PDAs. To best serve the residents of the State, accuracy of data collection will be the primary focus. Therefore, the State will not speculate on PDA completion timelines nor give benchmark rough estimates on damages ie dollar amounts. PDA information will be released upon PDA process completion, and final review by the Governor.

All residents and businesses that have experienced flood damage to their property as a result of the recent flooding event are advised to contact their insurance company and open a claim for said damages. All municipal and county officials should continue to work with their respective offices of emergency management and gather data/damage reports to be forward to the State for reviewed.

NJOEM Flood Related Info:
http://www.ready.nj.gov/plan/flood.html & www.ready.nj.gov

NJ 211 Call Center:
Call 2-1-1 or click www.nj211.org; Free 24-hour statewide service - putting people in need of assistance, in-touch with people who can help.

FEMA Flood Related Info:

Declaration Process
• http://www.fema.gov/hazard/dproc.shtm

Preliminary Damage Assessment
• http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/pda.shtm

Individual Assistance
• http://www.fema.gov/assistance/process/individual_assistance.shtm

Public Assistance
• http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm

To stay informed about disasters and emergencies in New Jersey via social media, follow the NJOEM on Twitter @ReadyNJ, "like" us on www.facebook.com/READYNEWJERSEY, or get email and text message alerts via www.Nixle.com or www.njalert.gov.