FEMA

"People need to quit thinking that it won't happen to them," David Maurstad, senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program at FEMA, told New Jersey 101.5.

"We need help and we need help now," said Shashuna Atwater, a resident of Newark. "Why wait for another disaster?"

Those with repetitively flooded homes may qualify to have those homes bought out, demolished, raised, or relocated.

There are now 13 counties in New Jersey where residents can apply for FEMA help for Ida recovery, before early November.

Nearly 40,000 residents already have applied for federal funding after the severe storm on Sept. 1, as FEMA sets up disaster recovery areas.

FEMA says more disaster recovery centers are likely on their way.

Morris County joined the list as of Saturday, clearing the way for federal funding to reach residents and businesses.

Burlington, Cape May, and Ocean are the only New Jersey counties not covered under this round of applications.

Homeowners and renters in several New Jersey counties can already get the ball rolling on applying for monetary assistance from the federal government.

Federal officials were being consulted in at least eight more counties, beyond the first six that have been cleared as eligible for emergency funding.