Many commuters faced a daunting drive to work Tuesday morning, with a number of roads hit by flash flooding caused by overnight storms. Flooding has become all too familiar in New Jersey, especially for homeowners. Government leaders are struggling to deal with the issue, especially as climate change intensifies flooding and once-in-100-year storms like Tropical Storm Ida.
New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs Monday night held the second of two public hearings to gather input on how the state should spend more than $228 million in federal aid to help families and communities recover from Tropical Storm Ida. And officials got an earful.
“How much more fighting do we have to do? Our block, we literally had to put a boat out there, just waddle in the water. It was so much water. Why should we have to fight so hard? Still following up with FEMA, they told me that an investigator had already closed my case; no one had even been to my house,” said Newark resident Lavita Johnson.
