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Up To 2 Weeks For Power, Shelters Available

Many roads still detour motorists throughout Washington Township.

 

If the calendar didn’t say so, one wouldn’t think Wednesday was actually Halloween. Often a festive, fun-filled occasion in Washington Township.

Unfortunately, residents are experiencing anything but treats.

Schools are closed through the end of the week, some 6,400 residences in the township are without power according to the mayor, and many roads are still impassable to motorists, all because of Hurricane Sandy’s destructive path through the area Monday.

The township is currently using Fairmount Firehouse and Schooley’s Mountain Firehouse as warming centers where residents can go to heat up and charge electronic devices, according to the Office of Emergency Management.

“As long as residents make use of the centers,” said Washington Township Mayor Ken Short, “we’ll keep them open.”

The Schooley’s Mountain Firehouse will also serve as an overnight shelter Wednesday for residents to go, Short said. Cots will be available, but residents will need to bring their own pillows, blankets and snack foods. There will be no cooking areas available.

Residents are also able to receive potable water by bringing their own containers to Schooley’s Mountain Firehouse, the Washington Township Police Department, Washington Township Municipal Utilities Authority, and Fairmount Fire Company.

Finding gas for vehicles and generators has been scarce in the area, and non-existent in Washington Township’s four stations, which are all powerless as of Wednesday afternoon.

The damage from Hurricane Sandy is widespread, and a timetable on restoration of electricity is still a moving target.

“(Jersey Central Power & Light) is in the area, and I know they are working,” Short said. “They’re still saying seven to 10 days for power to come back, but I’ve heard up to two weeks as well.”

While trick-or-treating hours have been bumped to Saturday, that date and time is still tentative, the mayor said. More information on that can be found here.

Department of Public Works personnel and volunteer firefighters have been working around the clock to move trees from roadways. However, if a tree is lying on a power line or utility pole, the township is required to wait for JCP&L crews to handle the situation.

Washington Township has also activated a local, non-emergency hotline for residents to call to report downed trees on their road and the need for basement pumping by local fire departments rather than calling the county's dispatch.

That number is 908-876-4633. If the line is busy, continue to call until you get through to someone, emergency management officials said. 

For more Hurricane Sandy coverage on Patch, go here. 

Related Topics: Frankenstorm, Hurricane, Hurricane Sandy, JCP&L, and Sandy

Angelo

5:42 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Great job by municipal employees opening up roads where they can! No sign of jcp&l or their tree workers to work on downed trees/power lines on west springtown.

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Jennifer Simon

8:25 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A shelter offers not only a place to warm u:p and charge up but also FOOD or the ability to cook it. Without heat or the ability to leave and go where there is heat (because there is no gas for my car) i would sit at that shelter without food! Stupid, yes? AND if i am unable to receive reverse911 calls because i am without power, how do i even find out about these places?? OEM told me today that no one showed up at the shelter last night...i said that that was because no one knew about it (or the lack of food service) kept people away. Township officials appear to have learned nothing from last years disaster! Don't know what i am going to do with my kids with no heat, when i run out of gas and have nowhere to go. I am volunteering fort the CERT committee when all of this is over. There has got to be a better way!!

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LVMom

9:03 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012

i know.. this whole thing is a mess... i have a tree that is leaning on the wires.. and it leans more and more daily a quick cut would insure that it doesn't break wires and require a big fix... but no let's wait for it to pull all the wires down so people can be out longer!

Tricia Abbondanzo

9:55 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012

I agree that a hot meal would be greatly welcome since we are all living on cereal and pb &j....

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MTSO

4:40 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012

They got to get Naughright Road reopened heading to Budd Lake and Route 80. Shouldn't the mayor help prioritize the work given to the JCP&L crews so that our major roads are opened?

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bobjoy

7:15 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012

try mission road...was open monday to 46

John Reed

10:56 am on Thursday, November 1, 2012

Listen to WRNJ (104.7 FM or 1510 AM) for up-to-date information. Listeners can call in and local mayors are in touch with the station and they are providing an excellent service for the greater community! Dig out your old transistor radios and tune in.

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Jon

8:00 pm on Friday, November 2, 2012

I heard on WRNJ that Mayberry's in Port Murray got a truckload of generators today. I'm heading over there first thing in the morning. If we get hit by another storm next week, I want to be ready this time.

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