President met officials in Hillsborough and families in Manville and says the damage caused by Ida underscores need to improve America's infrastructure.
The grants, in amounts up to $5,000, will be reimbursements for August rent or mortgage payments. It's a first step in advance of expected federal help.
From spending on more resilient infrastructure to rethinking development patterns, environmentalists say there are ways to respond to frequent flooding.
St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison is one of five areas shelters receiving an emergency transport of adoptable animals from Louisiana shelters following Ida.
Superstorm Sandy and a hurricane that capsized a boat in 1806 caused more deaths in New Jersey than the driving rains and floods from the remnants of Ida.