A woman and her baby looking out over a flooded street in Wallington, New Jersey, US, yesterday. New Jersey was especially hard hit by Hurricane Irene with thousands of residents forced into shelters due to flooded homes and many more still without electricity as rivers and creeks overflowed in the aftermath of the storm. President Barack Obama, who plans to visit Paterson, New Jersey on Sunday, has signed a disaster declaration for five counties in New Jersey, making residents eligible for federal assistance.