Dan Cirucci: NJ Flood Damage: Christie Gathers Forces, Agenices

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

NJ Flood Damage: Christie Gathers Forces, Agenices

In an effort to aid residents and communities impacted by last week’s severe storms and flooding, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to partner with the State to conduct a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) of affected areas to begin the process of getting a presidential disaster declaration and federal reimbursement.
“This was a significant weather event which resulted in evacuations, personal and public property damage and considerable expense for the impacted municipalities,” Governor Christie said. “We must do what we can to help ease the impact, and this request to FEMA starts that process.”
PDA’s are the first step in determining whether the disaster is of such severity and impact that federal assistance is necessary. The PDA is typically used as a basis for a State Governor's request for a major disaster or emergency declaration. It shows the cost of response efforts, including emergency personnel overtime, other emergency services, and damage to public and private property which is beyond State and local recovery capabilities. The President considers the PDA as one of the factors in making a determination whether to declare a Major Disaster or Emergency in response to the Governor's request.
In anticipation of the flood waters receding, PDA’s are scheduled to commence on Wednesday, when all county and local officials throughout the State will begin to assess and document the impact of the flooding. New Jersey Office of Emergency Management and FEMA representatives will conduct Joint PDA’s in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Sussex and Passaic Counties, the hardest-hit areas. Joint PDA teams will be directed to additional counties, if needed.
The Joint PDA process is used to determine the impact and magnitude of damage caused by a disaster. It summarizes the needs of individuals, businesses, public sector and the entire community. New Jersey is seeking assistance from several federal programs: Individual Assistance, including the Small Business Administration Loan Program, Public Assistance and the Hazard Mitigation and Insurance Program.
The PDA Teams will review the types of damage or emergency costs incurred and the impact to critical facilities, including: public utilities, hospitals, schools, and fire and police departments. The team will also assess the impact on individuals and businesses, including the extent of the damage, the number of people displaced, and the threat to health and safety caused by the incident. During the assessment, the team will collect eligible estimates of the expenses and damages.
The State Office of Emergency Management and its partners are committed to work in the timeliest manner possible to complete the PDA’s. To best serve residents impacted by the flood, accuracy of data collection will be the primary focus. Therefore, the State will not speculate on PDA completion timelines nor give rough estimates on damages. PDA information will be released upon completion of the process and final review by the Governor’s Office.
All residents and businesses that have experienced flood damage to their property as a result of the recent flooding event are advised to contact their insurance company and open a claim for damages. All municipal and county officials should continue to work with their respective offices of emergency management and gather data and damage reports to be forwarded to the State for reviewed.

For more information regarding flood recovery and the PDA process please follow these links:

NJOEM Flood Related Info: www.ready.nj.gov

NJ 211 Call Center: Call 2-1-1 or click www.nj211.org; Free 24-hour statewide service - putting people in need of assistance, in-touch with people who can help.

FEMA Flood-Related Info:

Declaration Process: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/dproc.shtm

PDA's: http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/pda.shtm

Individual Assistance Info: http://www.fema.gov/assistance/process/individual_assistance.shtm

Public Assistance Info: http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/index.shtm

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About Dan Cirucci

He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.

Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.

Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel.

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