(The Center Square) – Emergency declarations in New York and New Jersey activated extra utility workers as a dangerous nor’easter batters the coastline with high winds and torrential rain.
The 1,618 responders come along with a centralized command center and staging equipment to speed up service restoration in eight New York counties.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive order covered the Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Westchester, where up to 3 inches of rain is expected through Monday evening.
In neighboring New Jersey, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way declared an emergency for all 21 counties, while her boss, Gov. Phil Murphy, remained away from office.
In its latest update issued Monday morning, the National Weather Service said the Garden State’s coastline from Avalon to Manasquan faces a major flooding warning, while all points South to Cape May and north to Perth Amboy are at a moderate level. Gale force winds, beach erosion and 18-foot swells will continue into Tuesday, the agency said.
Although emergency declarations give state governments freedom to move money and resources around at a whim to respond to disasters faster, the orders can offer taxpayers individual benefits, too.
Should the states request official disaster recognition from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS may extend filing deadlines, while other departments may offer loans and grants to repair housing and provide temporary food and shelter.
Presidential-granted emergency declarations come with a spending limit of $5 million. Major disaster declarations, like those for Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, have no such budget.
Hochul last requested major disaster declarations in August 2024 for the effects of Tropical Storm Debby remnants, of which the state received $17.4 million from the federal government.
New Jersey’s last disaster declaration was requested in July 2023 for severe flooding. FEMA spent $8.9 million in response.
The regions most high-profile disaster response came on the heels of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. The federal government spent $50 billion after the historic superstorm that measured nearly three times as wide as Hurricane Katrina, decimated communities in New Jersey and New York with high winds and 80 mph wind gusts leaving as many as 159 dead.
FEMA also extended the disaster declaration to Washington, D.C., and nine other states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia.
The response, according to the American Planning Association, transformed the way federal and state governments cooperate to respond and recover from disasters. Legislation passed in 2013 appropriated $15.2 billion to help response efforts, allocating $8.6 billion to New York and New Jersey alone. New York City received its own $4.2 billion allocation, a first for any local government.
Both states also created an Office of Storm Recovery and an Office of Storm Recovery and Rebuilding, which still exist today.
