Two weeks after floods devastated parts of North Jersey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday opened two offices to handle claims from deluged residents and businesses.
But even as some flood victims gratefully lined up for help, others were disappointed that it might be in the form of low-interest loans, rather than grants.
Melanie Gluck, 51, said she hoped FEMA would reimburse some of the estimated $5,000 of damage to her Teaneck basement, but her hope waned after preliminary discussions with federal officials.
"Yes, it's an act of God," she said with her husband, Mitchell, at her side, as she recounted her woes with an air of frustration. "But the government doesn't care. They know how to take, but they don't know how to give back."
The Glucks were among the two dozen flood victims who came to the Bergen FEMA office on the fourth floor of the county administration building in Hackensack in the first two hours after it opened at noon.
Federal authorities created the office after President Bush last week declared parts of New Jersey a disaster area, opening the way for residents and public agencies to receive financial assistance.
County officials estimate that the flooding inflicted damage worth about $100 million to public property, such as sewers, bridges and roads, and $200 million to private property.
Among them was Jorge Abreu, 48, who spent more than two hours poring over FEMA registration documents with his wife, Xiomara, 47, to get help rehabilitating their New Milford home.
The family also lost three cars when the water rose to more than 5 feet deep in the street outside, flooding the first floor and basement and rendering the house uninhabitable, Jorge Abreu said.
The couple is now living with his sister-in-law in Manhattan, and their son is sleeping on the floor of a friend's in the Bronx, Abreu said, estimating that it will take at least two months to make their home livable again.
The couple had no clear idea what help they would get after meeting with officials from FEMA and the Small Business Administration, but were comforted that help was at hand.
Around Abreu, four FEMA officials sat behind laptops resting on beige trestle tables and listened as victims poured out their tales of woe, gently probing them on certain points. At the rear of the office, officials from the SBA went through the same process.
In most cases, one or the other agency, or both, takes down a detailed account of a victim's situation and a few days later sends a "loss verifier" to view the property and assess the claim.
The agencies then compare the damage assessment with the insurance settlement a victim can expect to receive. FEMA offers grants for rental assistance and personal property loss. The SBA gives loans for physical damage to business and economic injury, or just to get homeowners through the bad patch while they wait for an insurance check to arrive. Home loans can go up to $200,000, and business loans can reach $1.5 million.
Victor Romero of Union Avenue in Paterson said he faced foundation and property damage problems that were compounded by environmental concerns from oil seeping through the groundwater on his cellar floor.
Mark Gambordella, the center's manager, said people in need of assistance can register at 800-621-FEMA (800-621-3362) before coming to the center.
"We encourage anybody that had damage, whether they are insured or not, to come in and activate an application," Travis D. Brown, an SBA field operation officer said in Hackensack. That way, the victim can start the process and can still seek a loan if the insurance payment is less than expected, he said.
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