By Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News
“I don’t think it’s something you get over; at least, not for me. And I want the town — the government — to step up and provide the resources that we need to be able to rebuild our community,” said Debby Josephs a year after Tropical Storm Ida devastated her home in Manville. She just moved back in April.
The 500-year storm swept across New Jersey and sent rivers boiling over their banks. Flash floods killed 30 people who were trapped in cars and basement apartments. Ida damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and today many of them still need repair. But federal aid is tough to get and New Jersey is still sitting on a $228 million Housing and Urban Development block grant approved by Congress earlier this year. Advocates say Ida victims need more money and they need it now.
