New law helping New Jersey Ida survivors with their mortgages gets mixed reviews in Manville
MANVILLE, N.J. - Three years after Hurricane Ida devastated communities in New Jersey, many survivors say they are still struggling financially.
Gov. Phil Murphy just signed a bill into law giving Ida victims 12 months of mortgage forbearance, a temporary reduction or pause in payments, and foreclosure protection, but many victims in Manville say more needs to be done.
"It's a lifeline"
Hurricane Ida pushed Bob Simpson and his family out of their Manville home. The 77-year-old has been living in a hotel ever since, where his wife died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage. He's coping with emotional pain and financial losses after his spending his retirement on home elevation, but stopped, he says, because insurance and federal money didn't come through.
"I am actually in the process of considering giving it back to the bank. There's been so much spent on a hotel, and here," Simpson said.
The new law gives Ida survivors like Simpson hope. He said the new law is "so critical."
Leanna Jones, an Ida survivor with the New Jersey Organizing Project, fought for the law.
"It's a lifeline, and it is literally making it so I know I can keep a roof over mine and my kids heads, so I will be taking it," Jones said.
Jones, and other victims, say their debt is mounting.
"What we really need here is the ability to elevate our homes," Manville resident Eric Vaughn said.
Vaughn is not sure whether he'll take the forbearance offer. He said the state wouldn't give him money to elevate, and his other choice is a buyout under New Jersey's Blue Acres program.
"We are at 7% interest rates, so they are expecting me to find that house. You know, they throw me pennies basically," Vaughn said.
Some say new law doesn't go far enough
There are many other people suffering in Manville, and they also say this won't help them. Many bought their homes after Ida.
Manville residen Briana Lohr and her husband don't qualify for forbearance. Their home got flooded last year, and they put it up for sale, but just took it off the market.
"We'll be losing money at the end of the day," Lohr said. "In that process, they told us technically we were supposed be told by previous buyers that the house had substantial damage and that the house needed to be raised at some point."
FEMA officials say they provide grants, but the state administers the money.
The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management direct to CBS News New York to the Department of Environmental Protection website, which deemed certain Manville sections as high risk for elevation, leaving the buyout as the only option.
To qualify, applicants must have applied for other aid, and their damaged house has to be a primary home.
