Those Living in Basement Units in Hoboken Eligible for Federal Funding

Gov. Chris Christie on Monday announced $1.8 billion in federal funding for indiviuals and businesses in New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Sean Donovan attended the announcement and mentioned Hoboken's special situation.

Right after the storm, Donovan said, "one of the first calls" he received was from Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

The problem with Hoboken's infrastructure is that elevating buildings — something that's encouraged when renovating and rebuilding houses down the shore — is not an option.

In that phone call, Zimmer told Donovan that there had been issues with flood insurance and that those living in basement apartments should be eligible for funding as well.

"We put specific guidance in the money we're arpproving today," Donovan said, "to allow those kind of units to be eligible."