Murphy: ‘NJ Values Shine Brightest When Our Days are Darkest!’

By Lisa Goulian Twiste, Contributing Writer On Sep 8, 2021

After accompanying President Joe Biden to Manville yesterday to see first-hand the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Ida, Gov. Phil Murphy commiserated with devastated citizens while urging all New Jerseyans to be careful of more severe weather headed our way tonight.

“I’ve toured many communities in the past week, and at each location, we’ve profoundly felt two things: first the overwhelming sense of loss, but second, the determination to come back stronger and more determined than ever before,” Murphy said during his weekly COVID-19 briefing. “As I told the president before our tour, our New Jersey values shine brightest when our days are darkest. That’s true in so many communities, where neighbors and complete strangers are coming together to help each other pick up.”

Murphy mourned the loss of 27 New Jersey residents during the storm, some of whom drowned in flooded homes, others in cars that were swept off roads and into flood waters. He called it a “horrific, unfathomable loss of life,” adding he has directed government flags to fly at half staff through dusk on Friday in memory of those lost. Four other citizens remain missing.

At the same time, he thanked law enforcement officials and first responders for “pulling people from the roofs of cars and out of house windows” during the Sept. 1 storm, saving an estimated 4,000 lives.

Murphy also announced there are major disaster declarations from FEMA in Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset counties, which means homeowners in these counties can apply for federal assistance at disasterassistance.gov.

According to Col. Pat Callahan of the New Jersey State Police, the Office of Emergency Management and FEMA visited Hudson, Essex, Mercer, Union, Burlington, Monmouth, Morris and Warren counties over the last two days, and he is cautiously optimistic they will be added to the list. For now, they can apply for assistance at NJ.GOV/IDA, and that information will transfer to FEMA if/when their county becomes part of the major disaster declaration.

“This was truly a statewide event. It demands a statewide response,” Murphy said. “We made this case directly to the president as well as the FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell.”

Regarding severe weather in New Jersey today, Callahan said the highest risk of flash flooding, thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes is north of and including Mercer and Middlesex counties this afternoon and into early tomorrow.

After many communities saw Tropical Storm Ida interrupt or delay the start of their school year, Murphy again urged students, school personnel and visitors to wear a face mask when in a school, while also taking other precautions such as social distancing and staying home when sick.

“As I’ve noted before, masking is not a forever thing, but it’s what we need to rely upon now as the Delta variant continues to impact communities and many of our students are still too young to be vaccinated,” he said.

The number of New Jersey residents fully vaccinated stands at 5,655,168, though vaccination rates are down at 8,000-9,000 per day. At the same time, hospitalizations are up, with 31 deaths reported today bringing the state’s total to 24,258.

Murphy said there is still no definitive word on when booster shots will be available, adding, “I think there’s a debate or healthy discussion between the administration and the CDC and other bodies as to when to hit the ‘go’ button, but I think I can speak on behalf of all of us, the week of September 20 is when we were led to believe this is going to begin, and we want to be ready.”

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