NJ Has Distributed Half of $1.8B in Sandy Aid

Fifteen months after Superstorm Sandy pounded New Jersey, the state has distributed nearly half the $1.8 billion in initial funding it received from the federal government, the state's community affairs commissioner told lawmakers Wednesday.

At a state Assembly hearing, Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable said the state has awarded nearly $900 million in post-Sandy aid. New Jersey will soon get another payout of $1.4 billion in aid, according to an Associated Press article posted on northjersey.com.

Constable defended the state's performance after several Sandy victims said they still can't return to their homes or get the help they need to put their lives back together.

He said his agency "has aggressively worked to distribute these funds to Sandy-affected victims. We are not perfect, but every day we learn important lessons.

"I wish this process could be faster, simpler and easier," he told an Assembly housing panel. "We are doing everything in our power to get people back in their homes."

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