The initiatives focus on aviation, biomanufacturing, clean energy and “smart ports,” which NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said all boast “potential to drive transformative economic growth and job creation.”

Businesses there can apply for low-interest loans from the SBA for up to $2 million to cover the costs of physical damages, and business interruption stemming from the storm.

Tim Sullivan – head of the NJEDA, which is overseeing the $10.5 million pool of money – said there’s plenty to go around before applications close on Sept. 24.

An agreement between SOSV and the NJEDA calls for HAX to attract, develop and support 100 startups over the next five years. It'll lease up to 60,000 square feet of space for up to 200 founders and their staff, as well as fabrication and prototyping workshops. There, those companies will receive facilities, mentorship, education and financial investment.

Eligible cases are eradicated automatically by the judiciary, after which it's removed from the court’s public record. The person charged no longer has to report the case on applications for jobs, housing or college admissions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that 468,600 positions have returned to the state, which still lags behind much of the nation with one of the highest unemployment rates hovering over 7% for months now.

The NJEDA will accept applications beginning next month for the first tranche of aid under a $100 million plan that is part of a $14.5 billion state incentive economic package the governor approved in January.

The state opted not to continue a slew of federal unemployment benefits after Sept. 4 that hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans counted on.

Under a 2016 state law, New Jersey cannot officially do business with any company that takes part in such a practice, known as “Boycott, Divest, Sanction.”

New Jersey’s congressional delegation is seeking federal appropriations for the state’s businesses, as Washington did following Superstorm Sandy, but that effort faces uncertainty.

The chosen businesses, startups and advocacy groups will spend nine months developing projects and products that “promote worker rights, worker safety, and lifelong learning."

The governor sided with an oft-repeated mantra that outdoor settings are mostly safe for patrons to not be masked.