Union Plus: Assistance for Union Members Impacted by Hurricane Sandy : Union members living in areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy, who participate in Union Plus programs may be eligible for financial assistance. Union Plus Disaster Relief Grants of $500 are available to help participants in the Union Plus Credit Card, Insurance or mortgage programs who are facing financial hardship due to the recent severe weather. The money does not have to be repaid. To qualify for a Union Plus Disaster Relief Grant, the union member must:
Have been a victim of the severe weather in counties designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance.
Have experienced a significant loss of income or property within the last six months due to the disaster.
Have had a Union Plus Credit Card, Union Plus Insurance policy or Union Plus Mortgage for at least 12 months with the account or policy in good standing (be up-to-date on payments).
Describe his or her circumstances and document the income or property loss.To http://www.unionplus.org/disaster-relief/sandy-october-2012
United Way Sandy Recovery Fund: The United Way Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fund was established to address the near-term and long-term recovery needs of individuals, families and communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Contributions to the Fund will be used by local United Ways in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, DC and West Virginia to address hurricane recovery needs in communities that FEMA has declared disaster areas.
https://donate.unitedwaynyc.org/page/contribute/uwsandyrecovery
New Jersey Specific Information: The Department of Health has public health experts available through the state’s 2-1-1 system to answer questions about food and water safety and mold removal to assist New Jersey residents as they cleanup their homes and businesses after Hurricane Sandy. Health experts can answer questions about personal health and safety concerns; cleaning and mold removal; carbon monoxide concerns and food and drinking water safety. Residents can reach health experts by calling 2-1-1 or 1-866-234-0964 to reach Public Health officials, who are available to take calls 8 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 5 pm on weekends. The 2-1-1 human services hotline is open 24/7. http://nj211.org/hurricane.cfm
There are also resources available to help residents cope with the stress during this challenging time. The New Jersey Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services – Disaster and Terrorism Branch is coordinating statewide efforts to help individuals and communities manage the emotional impact of the storm. The Disaster and Terrorism Branch partners with the Mental Health Association in New Jersey to offer assistance through a toll-free Disaster Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-294-HELP (4357). A TTY line is available for persons who are deaf and hearing impaired at 1-877-294-4356. The federal government also has a disaster distress helpline http://www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov/ and provides 24/7 crisis counseling and support resources available at 1-800-985-5990 or Text TalkWithUS to 66746. The federal Helpline is staffed by trained counselors from a network of crisis call centers located across the United States, all of whom provide crisis counseling for those who are in emotional distress. It’s Free. It’s Confidential.
Managing the Emotional Consequences of Storms and Flooding: http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dmhs/disaster/Flood_Brochure_2011.pdf
Official List of New Jersey Counties and Municipal Web Pages: For specific advisories, relief efforts, and other information, this is a listing of all web sites for the counties and municipalities in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/nj/gov/county/localgov.html
N.J. Office of Emergency Management: www.ready.nj.gov
NJOEM on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/READYNEWJERSEY
NJ County Office of Emergency Management Coordinators and Web pages: http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/about/association.html
NJ Alert: A free, voluntary, and confidential emergency alerting system that allows the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management officials to send email or text messages to cell phones and other email during an emergency event. Sign up for NJ Alert by logging on to: www.njalert.gov.
Nixle: An application that allows verified government agencies to communicate with the public via text/SMS, email, and internet posts. This service is provided at no cost to the department, taxpayers, or residents. Unlike other social media applications, Nixle does not contain any third-party advertisements. New Jersey residents can register to receive messages by sending a text message with their zip code to 888777 (data rates may apply depending on your plan). Online registration is also available at: www.nixle.com.
List of gas stations, pharmacies, restaurants, and hotels that are open in New Jersey:
http://readynj.posterous.com/list-of-pharmacies-hotels-restaurants-and-gas
Drinking Water Resources: NJ Department of Health: http://nj.gov/health/er/documents/qa.pdf. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has approved the Department of Health’s request to ensure access to prescription medications to uninsured residents affected by the storm. The HHS’ Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) provides access, at any enrolled pharmacy, to necessary prescription drugs and limited durable medical equipment (DME) for individuals in a federally-identified disaster area and without health insurance. This program provides an efficient way for pharmacies to process claims for prescription medications and DME to individuals in a federally-identified disaster area and without health insurance.
New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance: Governor Chris Christie signed Executive Order 107, prohibiting insurance companies from imposing costly hurricane deductibles on New Jersey homeowners. A hurricane deductible typically can be in the amount of two to five percent of a property’s insured value. Thus a $500,000 house with a four percent hurricane deductible would result in a homeowner being responsible for a $20,000 deductible, rather than a more standard deductible in the $500-2,000 range. The deductible is the amount the policyholder must pay before the insurer would start covering the loss. Insurers are permitted to charge hurricane deductibles in certain circumstances. However, as the National Weather Service classified Hurricane Sandy as a post-tropical storm prior to landfall in New Jersey, the storm did not meet the first regulatory threshold required to apply a hurricane deductible. For other insurance information, including filing claims, see: http://www.state.nj.us/dobi/index.html
Volunteer Opportunities:
Hurricane Recovery Volunteer Opportunities for Health Care Professionals: http://www.state.nj.us/health/news/2012/approved/20121108a.html
Sandy Relief Donation Sites in New Jersey: https://docs.google.com/a/dceo.rutgers.edu/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AtFioqdqdsrfdHlJaDdZN01tZTVDMFQ3TWZDajRlb1E&pli=1
Emergency Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA):
DUA is available to residents of Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union Counties. http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/ui/ui_index.html. If you are unemployed because of the disaster that began on October 26, 2012, you should file for unemployment insurance benefits by calling a NJ Reemployment Call Center at: Union City – 201-601-4100; Freehold – 732-761-2020; Cumberland – 856-507-2340; Out of State – 888-795-6672. The deadline for filing claims resulting from this disaster is December 3, 2012.
Road Closures and Transit Information: http://www.511nj.org/ or call 5-1-1
National/Federal Resources:
American Federation of Teachers Fact Sheet: Cleaning up after a Major Storm: http://www.aft.org/pdfs/healthsafety/fs_stormcleanup1112.pdf
FEMA: Disaster Recovery Centers: A Disaster Recovery Center is a readily accessible facility or mobile office where applicants may go for information about FEMA or other disaster assistance programs, or for questions related to your case. http://www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers. If you have a smart phone, you can download the FEMA app: http://m.fema.gov/
Environmental Protection Agency Guidance on: Hazardous Waste Sites, Water Utility, Debris, Sampling, Recovery, Contact Information http://www.epa.gov/sandy/responsefaqs.html
Flooding, Mold, Drinking water and food, Disaster debris, Children’s Health
NJ Flood Tip Flyer: http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/disaster/floodtipsflyer_1.pdf
CDC Clean Up Guide
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/cleanup/facts.asp or Call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: (888) 232-6348, Hours of Operation 8am-8pm ET/Monday-Friday
Protect Yourself from Mold: http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/protect.asp
Pets: If any animals are lost during the disaster, contact veterinarians, humane societies, pet shelters, and other facilities that might house animals. Be prepared to identify and document ownership when claiming lost livestock.
Humane Society of the United States: www.hsus.org/disaster or connect with them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/humanesociety or call 1-855-407-4787 (1-855-407-HSUS).
The United States Department of Agriculture Missing Pet Network: www.missingpet.net may be of assistance.
Animal Emergency Preparedness for Horses, Livestock, or Poultry: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/ divisions/ah/prog/emergency_preparedness.html
Replacing Important Documents:
A critical step in disaster recovery is replacing important records scattered or damaged during the disaster. While the list of damaged documents varies from person to person, here is a quick guide to replacing lost records:
- Insurance: Ask your agent for copies of your policies, recent billing statements and cash-value statements.
- Financial records: Contact your bank, credit union, credit card company, brokerage firm and credit bureau for copies of account statements, loan applications, credit reports and other records.
- Social Security card: Find the nearest Social Security Administration office by calling 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) or going to the SSA website. You will need to show identification such as driver’s license, state-issued identification card or U.S. passport.
- Federal Tax returns: You have two options for getting copies of your federal tax return information. You can call 800-829-1040, or order transcripts by mail using IRS Form 4506T – Request for Transcript of Tax Return – found at the IRS website.
For the Future: Disaster Supplies Checklists
FEMA Emergency Checklist: http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/IS22/AppendixB.pdf