(WPVI) - FEMA officials were in Mercer County, New Jersey to assess the damage done by Hurricane Irene. They walked and talked one-on-one with Hamilton Township residents whose homes were ruined by the flood waters. Many of those homes are now unlivable. In the Cornell Heights section, public works crews were hauling away ruined furniture and filling dumpster after dumpster with debris. The area was flooded with several feet of water when the Assunpink Creek overflowed during Hurricane Irene. (C... Read more

An independent review of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) decision that closed its Freehold Downtown Station on Lafayette Street in Freehold Borough describes the USPS final decision to shut down the site as “seriously flawed” with numerous “deficiencies,” and even stated the procedures used by the USPS were “contrary to law,” said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04). “This is clear evidence that the U.S. Postal Service decision to close the downtown station was based on poor information,” said Smith,... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in visiting homes along the Assunpink Creek in Mercer County that were flooded out by Hurricane Irene, which struck the Garden State Aug. 27-28. Smith went through the neighborhood with Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, and Councilman Dennis Pone, who lives in the area and whose home has been made uninhabitable by the flood waters. Smith’s office has been working with municipal, county and state officials both be... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) welcomed an announcement made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today that expands its major federal disaster area to include additional counties in New Jersey that suffered severe storm damage from Hurricane Irene. Smith noted that residents and local government entities in all four counties of the Fourth Congressional District, Monmouth, Mercer, Ocean, and Burlington, are now eligible to apply for assistance under FEMA’s individual assistance and... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to include other areas of New Jersey hard-hit by Hurricane Irene that were not named when President Obama made his federal disaster declaration on Aug. 31. The congressman spearheaded the N.J. congressional delegation letter in support of a presidential declaration of a major disaster area for the entire State of New Jersey. In response to the partial declaration, Smith continues to push FEMA regional offici... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, has led an effort by the 13 members of the House of Representatives from New Jersey to ask the President to expedite a declaration of the State as a major federal disaster area due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Irene. "As Members of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, we are writing to express our full support for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's request for an expedited declaration of a major dis... Read more

Areas across Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer and Burlington counties were ravaged by widespread torrential rain, flooding and power outages during and following Hurricane Irene, which struck the Garden State Aug. 27-28. Congressman Chris Smith visited affected areas, and has stayed in contact with local officials before and after the hurricane. His office has been working with municipal, county and state officials both before and after the storm struck, as well as federal agencies such as the Federal E... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith toured Monmouth and Ocean Counties on Aug. 28 in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. The Fourth Congressional District Smith represents includes large areas along the swollen Delaware River from Trenton in Mercer County to Burlington City in Burlington County, as well as coastal areas of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses have lost power, hundreds of homes have been flooded and residents have been forced to abandon their homes. Downed tre... Read more

The following article appeared in the Asbury Park Press: Federal and local officials pledged Tuesday to help the residents of Mariners Cove, whose homes were badly damaged in Sunday’s storm. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J, and several municipal officials visited the residents Tuesday to assess the impact of the storm and to hear their stories. They were greeted by frustrated homeowners who expressed concern about their ability to afford the clean up of their homes, worry that they would have a hard tim... Read more

This article appeared in the Thursday, Aug. 25 edition of the Coast Star: According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the population with Alzheimer’s disease is steadily growing — the association estimates 5.4 million Americans currently have the disease, and that number could grow to 16 million by 2050. In January, the National Alzheimer’s Project Act [NAPA] was passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama. Under the law, a strategic, national plan will be creat... Read more