Mayor 'Not Impressed' With JCP&L Effort

As the work week came to a close in Washington Township, residents atop Schooley’s Mountain were having electricity restored despite what one official felt was too slow of a response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“I’m not real impressed with [JCP&L’s] effort,” Mayor Ken Short said late Friday afternoon. “We still have about 20 roads either closed or nearly impassable because of trees tangled in wires that JCP&L has to clear.”

Short said he’s been in touch with Assemblyman Tony Bucco as well as State Senator Anthony Bucco with hopes of putting pressure on the utility provider.

A preliminary tour of the town gave Short a rough estimate of $2 million in damages to homes–not including driveways, vehicles, or sheds and other buildings on private property, he said.

“I think $2 million is a conservative number,” Short said. “When all is said and done, I’d say that total goes over $5 million.” The Federal Emergency Management Association was expected to tour the township Friday as well.

JCP&L crews had restored electricity to the Washington Township Police Department, Library, and Senior Center early Friday. Neighborhoods atop Schooley’s Mountain in the area of Flocktown and Naughright Roads were seeing electricity restored as Friday came to a close.

And until power is fully restored, Short is asking residents to continue calling the utility provider to remind them of outages. The phone number to reach them is 888-544-4877.

If trees and power lines are still strewn about in the township come Monday, when trick-or-treating hours are scheduled, festivities may be postponed yet again.

“We’ll have to wait and see and make the call as the time approaches,” Short said. “We can’t have children walking around in that.”

What’s Available and When

The following services and shelters are available to residents:

• Fairmount Firehouse is a warming station for residents with the availability to charge electronics.
• Schooley’s Mountain Firehouse is a 24/7 shelter for residents to stay and sleep. Please bring your own food, blankets and pillows.
• Potable water can be received–in resident’s own containers–at the Police Department, Fairmount and Schooley’s Mountain Firehouses, and Washington Township Municipal Utilities Authority.
• The Washington Township Library will be open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
• Water and ice will be available to residents at noon at the Senior Center at Rock Spring Park.
• The Dog Pound Hot Dog Truck will be donating cooked hot dogs and water bottles to residents at noon at the Senior Center.
• Residents can rid their homes of spoiled food in a dumpster between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday at the Department of Public Works.

For full coverage on Hurricane Sandy’s impact to Washington Township, go here.

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