Hurricane Ida survivors gathered at the Manville Fire Company's Firehouse No. 1 on South 3rd Avenue Sunday to mark five years since the storm, calling on the State to reverse a 2023 Department of Community Affairs decision that cut off home elevation funding for parts of the Borough and to extend expiring mortgage relief.

The event, organized by the New Jersey Organizing Project (NJOP), combined survivor testimonials with food, children's activities, and disaster preparedness. Ida struck New Jersey on September 1, 2021, killing 30 people statewide and flooding hundreds of homes in Manville, particularly in the Lost Valley.

In a corner of the hall stood a poster-sized letter to Governor Mikie Sherrill, which attendees signed throughout the afternoon. It asks the governor to "reverse the forced migration plan in Manville," to support legislation extending the Ida mortgage forbearance law of 2024, and to "stand with Ida survivors who are currently being harassed and bullied by banks as their mortgage forbearance ends." Organizers said Sherrill was invited; a response from her office read at the gathering said she was unable to attend and wished the group success.

Elected officials and candidates from both major parties, representing the borough and county, attended. None spoke as part of the program.

The Elevation Decision

The letter's "forced migration" language refers to an August 2023 decision by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), under then-Governor Phil Murphy, designating parts of Manville, including all of the Lost Valley, as Disaster Risk Reduction Areas.

Homes there cannot receive federally funded repair or elevation grants. The State's Manville flood risk reduction policy directs owners to voluntary Blue Acres buyouts instead, and a homeowner who declines a buyout is not offered elevation or repair aid as an alternative. News reports put the number of affected homeowners between 39 and 79.

Holly Fordham of the Lost Valley, an NJOP leader, had five feet of water on her first floor during Ida. In remarks prepared for the event, she said she repaired her home within three months but learned by email in August 2023 that it was no longer eligible for the repair grants she had applied for. "Governor Sherrill should step up, fix Murphy's mistakes, and reverse the decision," her prepared remarks said.

Richard Reina, whose home in the historic village of Centerville took 30 inches of water, said he was approved in early 2025 for a state elevation grant, then told by letter in January 2026 that the elevation was canceled because costs exceeded federal guidelines. The state canceled elevations for 69 homeowners that month, including seven in Manville, according to NJ.com reporting.

Reina said the state now proposes demolishing and rebuilding his home, with costs above a state cap falling to him; one estimate put those costs at $100,000. "As well-meaning as some State officials have been with us, no progress has been made in the last 5 years," his prepared remarks said.

Mortgage Forbearance Ending

Speakers credited their organizing for the forbearance law, S3670, sponsored by state Senator Troy Singleton and state Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez and signed in October 2024. It let eligible Ida-affected homeowners suspend mortgage payments for up to a year; applications closed in February 2025, so many forbearance periods are now expiring.

Leanna Jones of Milford, in Hunterdon County, said in prepared remarks that her bank is demanding the skipped payments as a lump sum. The law directs that suspended payments be repaid monthly through an extension of the mortgage term. ManvilleToday could not independently verify individual lender demands.

What Happens Next?

NJOP plans to deliver the signed letter to the governor's office and is pressing lawmakers to extend the forbearance another 12 months. Speakers said Sunday's event coincided with survivor gatherings in Texas Hill Country, Los Angeles, and Missouri organized through Rebuild: The National Disaster Survivors Association. Homeowners like Reina, meanwhile, must choose between demolition, a buyout, or funding repairs themselves.

Residents affected by the elevation decision or exiting forbearance can contact NJOP through newjerseyop.org.