On the eve of the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ida's widespread destruction in the tri-state, one of the flood-plagued communities is being told to pay for their own repairs or move out.
Manville, New Jersey was heavily flooded back in 2021 by the remnants of Ida. A group of about 80 homeowners who would normally get federal money to repair their homes are finding out that is no longer happening.
Instead of a payout to rebuild their homes, the state is offering them a buyout.
Eric Vaughn, a single father of two young sons, has been living in an RV outside of his home in the two years since Ida blew through. He's in the middle of putting their house back together after flood waters came several feet up the walls.
"[The boys] ask about their house every once in a while," he says.
Vaughn had been waiting to start in hopes of receiving federal aid from the state designated for repairs and elevating homes. Two weeks ago, he received an email stating that aid is not coming.
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"Eric's story is so sad, especially because he was playing by the state's rules and the state has changed the rules on him," Meghan Mertyris, with the New Jersey Organizing Project, said.
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Flooding in Manville is an annual occurrence; the area is high-risk for devastating storms. The governor's office said New Jersey has reprioritized how federal resources will be spent, and has decided to offer homeowners the option of relocating in order for the area to better absorb future flooding.
"No one was told that they were getting an elevation and are now getting a buyout. This is the first anyone is being notified of either acceptance or denial, and a lot of people just aren't accepted into either program because we're just limited in the amount of funding that we have," Daniel Kelly, director of federal affairs for Gov. Phil Murphy, said.
Vaughn said the option for a buyout is not one that works for him.
"There's a good chance they're gonna offer me less than my home is worth, and then my credit is destroyed and I'm in partial foreclosure," he said.
"The government is supposed to work for me and the people, but it doesn't seem like it," Vaughn said.
