Governor Chris Christie today raised his assessment of the damage done to New Jersey by Hurricane Sandy to $36.9 billion from $29.4 billion.
The total includes damage to personal property, businesses, transportation and utilities infrastructure, the impact on the state’s tourism industry, mitigation and prevention costs, and includes aid received to date and anticipated from federal sources including FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The total assessment includes $29.4 billion in repair, response and restoration costs previously released, plus $7.4 billion in mitigation and prevention costs that have since been determined.
“I’ve called this experience New Jersey’s Katrina because the damage to our state is nothing that we’ve experienced ever before. Our top-down assessment of overall damage, destruction, and costs bears out the results of this devastation, with a cumulative total of $36.9 billion in damage,” said Governor Christie. “We have a long way to go to rebuild and restore our communities, but the people of New Jersey have already shown that we are ready to meet the challenge. This assessment will help guide the way as we work to continue making steady progress for the people of our state.”
Based on land and aerial assessments, over 30,000 businesses and homes were destroyed or experienced structural damage, while 42,000 homes were otherwise affected. Over $500 million in disaster assistance has been distributed to New Jersey residents, while 233,000 people have already registered with FEMA for individual assistance.
