Maybe you witnessed this after Hurricane Sandy: Line crews waiting to repair downed wires until Jersey Central Power & Light could send someone to clear fallen trees.
Wouldn’t it be faster if towns could deploy their own public works crews to clear those trees? And maybe provide a liaison to guide utility crews shipped here from other states?
Those are the kinds of questions raised by municipal officials who met Thursday in Morristown. Representatives from 18 Morris County towns gathered at the invitation of Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty and Parsippany Mayor James Barberio to critique all levels of response to Hurricane Sandy.
“As mayors, we are on the front lines. We wanted to see what we can do better in dealing with the utility companies, and getting the word out to our residents,” Mayor Dougherty said.
Last year, local officials convened in Morristown by the state Board of Public Utilities blasted JCP&L for poor communications in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene.
While many area officials still contend the utility can do better, they appear to be cutting JCP&L more slack after Sandy.
“Everyone was in agreement that this was an unprecedented storm,” said Mayor Dougherty.
Thursday’s 90-minute session at the Hyatt Morristown brought together mayors, business administrators and police chiefs. Morris Township Mayor Peter Mancuso and Morris Plains Mayor Frank Druetzler were among those who attended.
Next, the group will try to reach consensus on three top concerns, which will be forwarded to the state Department of Community Affairs, Mayor Dougherty said. Participants also may review JCP&L pledges made after Tropical Storm Irene, to see how well the utility followed through. He hopes that the group will continue to meet.
“In numbers, there is strength,” the Morristown mayor said.
Some 83 percent of Parsippany’s JCP&L customers lost electricity after Sandy struck on Oct. 29, according to Mayor Barberio, who said the township spent about $400,000 on overtime for police, public works and other employees in the aftermath of the storm. Morristown’s overtime tab came to about $300,000. Municipalities hope to recoup 75 percent of those expenses from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mayor Barberio acknowledged liability issues that prevent municipal crews from clearing trees from power lines. But he thinks such issues could be resolved with proper training, resulting in speedier responses to future mega-storms that now seem inevitable. Common sense suggests that utility crews from Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere would benefit from town employees “bird-dogging” for them, he said.
“We have the ability, if they can allow us to do it, to show them where the concentration of damage is,” Mayor Barberio said. “We know where the nursing homes are, and the schools.”
VIDEO OF SANDY SLAMMING MORRISTOWN
