Essex County residents and businesses can now apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid for damage caused by Ida, the storm that brought floods and devastation to the area on Sept. 1.

Mayor Sean Spiller and Councilman Peter Yacobellis on Friday were at a gun violence prevention event with Gov. Phil Murphy when he confirmed that Essex County had been approved for inclusion in a FEMA major disaster declaration. On Sunday, Sept. 5, President Joe Biden approved such a declaration for six New Jersey Counties — Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset — making FEMA funds available to residents and businesses hard-hit by Ida’s floodwaters in those areas.