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Rochelle Park resident who lost home in Hurricane Ida tells commissioners recovery remains incomplete
Summary
A Park Ridge/ Rochelle Park resident displaced by Hurricane Ida described prolonged displacement, insufficient flood‑insurance payouts and difficulties accessing assistance, urging the county for better, more accessible programs for flood survivors.
A Rochelle Park resident told Bergen County commissioners on Tuesday that she and her two children remain displaced nearly four years after Hurricane Ida, and she urged the county to improve access to recovery programs and resources for flood victims.
Miriam El Refifi said her home at 6 Patton Court was substantially damaged when the Saddle River crested after Ida; she described receiving hotel assistance for a few weeks and a $56,000 payout from a $320,000 flood‑insurance policy that she said was insufficient to repair her substantially damaged home. “We were given a hotel to stay at for a few weeks…our flood insurance…offered us $56,000 for a substantially damaged home,” she said, adding that she is now living in an apartment and managing mortgage forbearance while the house remains uninhabitable.
El Refifi said the family has endured trauma and continuing mental‑health impacts: her daughter suffered near‑drowning and continues to experience post‑traumatic stress. She described repeated applications to federal, state and nonprofit programs and said application processes were confusing, heavily document‑driven, and sometimes resulted in cliff‑edge denials.
County staff acknowledged the resident’s situation and said county administration would follow up with offers of assistance and referrals to programs and resources. Commissioners did not take immediate policy action during the public comment session, but county staff said they would contact the resident after the meeting.
