Camden County To Get $1.3M In FEMA Grants To Fight Coronavirus
CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The Camden County Office of Emergency Management will receive $1,395,002.66 in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) grants to help combat the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced on Monday.
U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker and Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-1) announced the funding. The senators said they have now secured more than $160 million in PA grants to help the state battle the pandemic.
The $2 trillion federal emergency stimulus package, known as the CARES Act, included $45 billion for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund to help states provide for immediate needs and essential services to protect citizens and recover from the outbreak. New Jersey is included in the President’s Major Disaster Declaration.
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“Camden County’s first responders, health care workers and other essential workers need the resources to continue protecting their residents and businesses,” Menendez said. “This funding will ensure frontline workers have the personal protective equipment they need to keep themselves and others safe and out of harm’s way. I’ll continue fighting for the federal funds our state needs to beat the pandemic and recover.”
“Communities across New Jersey and our nation continue to work tirelessly in battling this public health crisis, so we have an obligation to ensure they have adequate resources to keep our residents safe,” Booker said. “The health of our families, frontlines workers, and our economy is dependent on a strong federal response, and I’ll continue to fight for federal funding like this to protect the health and safety of Camden County residents and all New Jerseyans.”
Camden County now has 8,371 cases of the coronavirus with 528 confirmed deaths. According to the Camden County Department of Health, there are 1,330 confirmed cases among residents at the county's long-term care facilities, with 305 deaths. Another 501 cases were reported among staff members, with three deaths. Read more here: Number Of New Camden County Coronavirus Cases Hits Single Digits
“We are still in the midst of a grave health emergency, and our local governments urgently need relief,” Norcross said. “This critical federal funding will help Camden County cover the unexpected costs of the coronavirus pandemic, including testing and keeping our first responders and other essential workers safe and on the job. I will continue to fight for South Jersey in Congress to ensure our communities get the tools and supplies we need to combat this outbreak and keep residents healthy and secure.”
The senators previously announced PA grant awards for $23 million, $26.3 million, $8.7 million, $6 million, $43.6 million, $21.3 million and $26.1 million to the New Jersey State Police and $2.3 million and $1.2 million to the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management.
In May, Menendez and Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) introduced the Local Community Emergency Relief ActLocal Community Emergency Relief Act, which is bipartisan legislation to eliminate the cost-share payments required of states and communities included in federal disaster declarations in 2020.
Menendez has also led bipartisan requests from both the New Jersey congressional delegation and his Senate colleagues calling on President Donald Trump to completely eliminate the local cost-sharing for FEMA disaster grants. Booker and Rep. Bill Pascrell (NJ-9) joined Menendez in those efforts.
See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
This article originally appeared on the Gloucester Township Patch
