Politics & Government

Obama Declares New Jersey Major Disaster Area; Will Visit Sunday to View Flooding

Declaration will allow federal government to distribute disaster relief funds.

President Barack Obama declared New Jersey a major disaster area Wednesday afternoon, and the White House announced that the president will travel to north Jersey on Sunday to get a firsthand look at the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene.

The declaration will allow the federal government to award FEMA assistance to local residents, and state and municipal governments, according to officials with the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-08). 

The president will make an appearance in Paterson, according to Rep. Pascrell, who is a former mayor of Paterson, one of the cities hardest hit by flooding.

At present, no details are available as to when the president will arive or where he will go.

Find out what's happening in Bridgewaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate visited New York and New Jersey on Wednesday to review flood relief efforts.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here