NJ residents demand answers from governor 3 years after Ida: ‘I feel betrayed’

MANVILLE, N.J. (PIX11) — Hurricane Ida survivors in Manville, New Jersey, say Gov. Phil Murphy left them high and dry, still struggling to financially recover three years after the storm.

“I feel betrayed,” said Manville homeowner Eric Vaughn. “I’m angry. And Gov. Murphy is silent. He won’t even meet with us.”

Last week, Murphy conditionally vetoed a mortgage forbearance bill that would have allowed Ida survivors to pause mortgage payments for 12 months. In explaining the conditional veto, Murphy said the bill relied solely on a homeowner’s word that they qualify and wants more guardrails to prevent abuse.

He asked that qualification be determined based on participation in programs such as HARP, the Homeowner Assistance and Recovery Program, established after Hurricane Ida. But Manville survivors of Hurricane Ida said qualifying for HARP has proven nearly impossible.

“We got an email saying we were approved and then a week later, we got another email saying, ‘Oh, sorry, we’re redirecting funding from the program,’” said Vaughn, who was told he didn’t qualify because his home is in a high-risk area.

Manville homeowner Debby Josephs, who said her home was approximately 90% destroyed in Ida , was also denied.

“It’s been devastating, financially,” said Josephs.

“I don’t know anyone who’s got a dollar in their pocket from it [HARP], and that’s three years later,” said Leanna Jones, an Ida survivor who now helps other storm victims through the New Jersey Organizing Project.

Without relief from HARP, homeowners like Josephs and Vaughn began banking on help from the mortgage forbearance bill. The bill unanimously passed the New Jersey State Legislature in June before Murphy conditionally vetoed it last week.

The temporary pause in mortgage payments would have helped Ida survivors make additional home repairs or simply pay off debts that have mounted since the storm.

“I have a basement that now, every time it rains, the water comes right in because there’s damage to the foundation, which the insurance company said it is not responsible for,” said Josephs.

Affected residents still have the option to participate in the Blue Acres Buyout Program and sell their homes to the state, but several homeowners said the payout is not enough to purchase a comparable house in the current real estate market.

“We need the help,” said Josephs.

“We’ve gotten zero help from the government,” said Vaughn. “Where is that money? Where did it go?”

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