More than a year after Tropical Storm Ida tore through New Jersey, people are still counting the costs. At least 29 people were killed in New Jersey in the September 2021 storm. Thousands of people were temporarily displaced. And the costs in property damage across the state were enormous.  

Manville in Somerset County was one of the worst-hit communities. Lying in a floodplain at the convergence of the Raritan and Millstone rivers, the borough had endured flooding in the past. But Ida caused unprecedented damage, to the extent that some residents said they were considering whether it was time to move. Now the Federal Emergency Management Agency has allocated $10 million to New Jersey for Ida-related flood mitigation projects. Much of that will go toward acquiring and demolishing 28 properties in Manville that were heavily damaged by last September’s storm. In addition, it will help to fund the conversion to open space and flood storage of lands near the Raritan and Millstone rivers.  

The so-called Swift Current Initiative also allocates $40 million to Louisiana and $5 million each to Mississippi and Pennsylvania. It’s the first FEMA initiative to be funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.