Mercer County May Receive Federal Reimbursement for Costs Associated with Dec. 26-27, 2010, Blizzard

Thanks to a disaster declaration issued last week by President Barack Obama, Mercer County is one of 13 New Jersey counties that may receive federal reimbursement for certain costs – such as emergency response and damage cleanup and repair – associated with the major snow storm that struck New Jersey on Dec. 26-27, 2010.

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said the county’s Office of Emergency Management has been busy working with Lawrence Township and the county’s 12 other municipalities to compile storm cost and damage assessments related to the December blizzard.

He said the office will now coordinate meetings between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the municipalities and certain local nonprofit organizations to determine eligibility for federal reimbursement.

Individual residents are not eligible for reimbursement, he noted.

“We always aggressively pursue eligibility for federal assistance after any major storm,” said Hughes. “I’m grateful that President Obama recognized Mercer County was among the counties which was hit hard by the blizzard.”

Damage in Mercer County caused by the blizzard is estimated at about $2 million, Hughes said.

The other counties covered by the disaster declaration are Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset and Union.