Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman has announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reimbursed Carteret $82,000 for emergency service and damage costs related to the Nor’easter of March-April 2010.
The storm’s severity alarmed meteorologists, bringing nearly 5 inches of rain and 70 mph wind gusts in parts of New Jersey, and cost the Borough of Carteret approximately $120,000 in damages and services. $18,224.88 had been consumed by personnel and administrative costs, with the remainder accounting for damages, according to a report submitted to FEMA by the Carteret Department of Engineering.
Mayor Reiman had declared a state of emergency in the Borough, where near-record rainfall compromised public safety and disrupted transportation, calling for the closing of several roads and limiting access to public facilities, food, and emergency services. Power had been lost throughout the Borough’s jurisdiction, with extensive flooding and downed wires.
Some of the town’s most severely affected areas included Grant Avenue Park, Carteret Park, and Waterfront Park, where overland flooding had caused an estimated $10,269.43 in soil erosion. The Borough’s pump stations at Roosevelt Avenue and Dorothy Street suffered an additional $40,024.28 in damages.
Carteret’s emergency service departments played a significant role during the storm, opening roadways, restoring utilities, performing “swift water rescues” from stranded vehicles, and transporting residents with storm-related injuries to medical facilities. An estimated 370 cubic yards of downed trees and vegetation was also removed from public areas.
Mayor Reiman said, “we’re grateful that President Obama’s administration has recognized the severity of the storm’s effects in Carteret, and how substantial the cost in manpower, resources, and damages it could have been to our local taxpayers. We certainly recognize all of our emergency service workers who demonstrated their skill and experience during the nor-easter, as well as their commitment to a safer Carteret.”
