After calling Gov. Chris Christie's office twice seeking help from last week's devastating storm, Greenwich Township Mayor George Shivery said he was astounded when all he received in return was an email asking for a donation to the governor's presidential campaign.

"It rubbed salt in the wound," Shivery said Wednesday.

In addition to homeowners who suffered property damage and some who remained without power for a week, many businesses also took a major hit.

At Zallie's ShopRite, in Gibbstown, the owner reportedly had to install a generator for at least three days, according to Shivery, accumulating a cost of roughly $10,000, not to mention having to get rid of spoiled food and other storm-related expenses.

When contacted Wednesday afternoon, Shivery had just gotten off a telephone conference call with state officials who informed him that total damage in the storm-affected area -- which includes Gloucester, Camden, Burlington and Atlantic counties -- was not severe enough to qualify for federal funding, which would have aided the recovery effort for individuals and small businesses.

As of Wednesday, it had not been decided whether affected areas in South Jersey would see any state aid, either, Shivery said.

The storm devastated many businesses throughout South Jersey, small and large, even putting some at risk of closure.

When the final tally comes in, Ron Zold, owner of Venice Italian Eatery & Catering in Pitman, expects close to $10,000 in losses -- which includes blown lights, cost of a generator, payroll, water damage and wasted food, to name a few.

A detrimental hit, Zold worries this could cost him his entire restaurant.

"Business has been tough as is ... and this is just another shot," Zold said. "And we are coming into the slow season, the summer, so it is terrible timing."

Pitman Mayor Russell C. Johnson, a Republican, said he had been a supporter of Christie from the beginning. But the way in which Christie responded to the needs of South Jersey caused Johnson to relinquish his support for him.

"I have been a supporter from day one, but he has lost my support," Johnson said.

When it comes to calculating the damage, the numbers are still being gathered.

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (2nd-Dist.) said on Wednesday that LoBiondo had spoken to several mayors in Gloucester County and offered to push for approval of federal assistance so long as the state made a disaster declaration.

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So far, eight Gloucester County municipalities have reported information related to the storm and more are expected to do so. When factoring in storm damage and all aspects of the response to the storm, including costs for debris removal and emergency response, the current price tag stands at a combined $10.4 million for these towns, according to county administrator Chad Bruner.

Greenwich Township sustained between roughly $1.5 million to $2 million in damages from the storm that generated winds in excess of 85 mph and caused hundreds of thousands to be without power, Shivery said.

Not all of these costs are eligible for federal reimbursement.

So far, the combined storm damage estimate between the four counties, the figure that would be eligible for federal help, is $7.3 million. The threshold is $12.4 million statewide for the federal government to reimburse, Bruner said.

Gloucester County government itself has spent close to $600,000 so far, and Bruner expects that number could double.

Like many in South Jersey affected by the straight-line wind storm that reached winds in excess of 85 mph, Zold believes the governor should have declared a state of emergency or made a disaster proclamation in order to help business owners and residents.

"We feel that the governor won't do nothing because he is up in North Jersey (and) we're down here in South Jersey and feel like second-class citizens," Zold said. "There should have been a state of emergency."

Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester) said he was dumbfounded when he heard it was unlikely businesses affected by the storm would qualify for federal assistance.

"We've got businesses ... with losses of revenue that they can't make up and a lot aren't big enough that can take these kinds of the events," Burzichelli said. "This is a very critical time."

Shivery, a Republican, believes Christie's handling of the storm response has cost him support in South Jersey.

"I know him, this is not the same guy I supported a couple years ago," Shivery said. "I was surprised he responded this way. It is so out of character for him to respond this way. Maybe one day he can explain to me why. We were big supporters, and it's like he doesn't know us."

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.