Thursday, December 13, 2012
John McKeon spoke Tuesday at the South Orange Department of Public Works
Assemblyman John F. McKeon unveiled a package of bills to ramp up utility infrastructure in the wake of Superstorm Sandy at a news conference on Tuesday at the Department of Public Works (DPW) facility in South Orange. "It's no accident that we're in South Orange for this announcement," said Village President Alex Torpey, who introduced McKeon, along with DPW Director Tom Michetti. In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, Torpey said, a live wire fell across the facility's driveway, trapping DPW staff in the building. McKeon's proposed legislation is twofold, he said. First, he proposes that the state establish requirements for newly-installed and replacement electric utility poles and transmission towers, he said. The new poles are a …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Legislators get tour of Shore destruction
Members of New Jersey's General Assembly toured Ocean County communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy Thursday. The tour, led by State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes, along with local officials, gave lawmakers and members of the press an up-close look at what Sandy left behind – including the remnants of the Seaside Heights boardwalk and the now-iconic Jet Star roller coaster, which dropped from Casino Pier to the ocean during the storm. Casino Pier will be repaired in what is estimated to be a $45 million project, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd said, and the roller coaster will be removed from the ocean floor. However it is unlikely that Funtown Pier in neighborhing Seaside Park will be rebuilt. Though there was talk …
Monday, November 26, 2012
Five trustees met for a rare Saturday meeting to discuss plans for future Sandy-scale events
Village officials plan to hold neighborhood and town meetings to plan for future crises; sign up as many residents as possible for an alert system; and distribute vital information on paper, as well online. These were three goals that emerged from a rare Saturday morning Board of Trustees meeting dedicated to "review timelines proposed by Village President and an opportunity for input by the Trustees." Trustee Deborah Davis Ford emphasized that point, noting that the meeting was "only, I emphasize only to elicit feedback, to establish best practices for future disasters." The meeting was led by Davis Ford. Trustee Janine Bauer was not present, though a statement was read in absentia. Bauer charged that the meeting, which was annouced to …
A post-Sandy cleanup drew a hardy crowd
The community cleaned up Sandy's mess on Sunday, as a stalwart group of volunteers gathered at Village Hall. The crew gathered sticks, raked, and gathered trash around the Duck Pond and on Floods Hill. Organizer Sheena Collum, busily raking while this Patch editor stopped by, was pleased the results. "Today was a blast," said Collum. "I think we got a lot done." Volunteers enjoyed pizza courtesy of Bunny's Sports Bar. For more photos, click here.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, a look back at a few local heroes. Please add your own.
As South Orange marks Thanksgiving, it's hard not to think back two weeks to Sandy's destruction. What sticks with this Patch editor is not the darkness and destruction of late October, but the community's remarkable generosit. The South Orange Public Library opened its doors almost as soon as the wind blew through and stayed open for warmth, power and good cheer. By night a shelter, the library served as refuge during cold days. And the library staff was unfailingly cheerful though they too went home to dark, cold houses. Morrow Church lived up to the Methodist Church slogan, "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" by serving as many as 600 meals daily and keeping hundreds of us from the community warm, powered up, and entertained. The …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Alex Torpey is Village President and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator
Superstorm Sandy was one of the worst storms ever to hit the state of New Jersey. However, despite its seeming rarity, it will not be the last, as weather events seem to be trending towards the more extremes. As a result, a unique opportunity exists to collectively and comprehensively assess what happened and to make improvements and recommendations before the next major storms hits. Although from the feedback we've received, the response and communication from the Village itself was generally very good, we can, of course, always do better. And it is critical to remember that, for an event this large, the Village’s response is significantly impacted by the response of others, for example PSE&G and NJ Transit. It seems important for us to …
Monday, November 12, 2012
Gas rationing will end, but stores remain crowded and the commute is difficult
The second full week post-Sandy brought some good news to the area: gas rationing ends Tuesday; power is back in most parts of town; NJ Transit has begun running Midtown Direct trains. However, life is far from normal days after the superstorm knocked out power for thousands in Essex County. Many residents note long lines for commuter buses and trains, and, surprisingly, in food stores. "Every store I've seen has been packed," said Julia Stern of South Orange. "I think we all need to restock refrigerators and freezers. Add to that the disruption of all the travel; the food couldn't travel either." And with many residents getting power back over the weekend, local grocery stores have been crowded. "Not to mention," says shopper Amanda …
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Seton Hall offers movies, fun, and family games on Sunday
Seton Hall University invites the community to relax and recover after Sandy. On Sunday, Nov. 11, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., locals are invited to the university for movies, crafts, and stories for children, along with homework help and refreshments. There is no change; ask at the gate for the specific location.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
South Orange residents are on Day 10 without power
PSE&G and Power Restoration Update The Village understands the incredible frustration felt by each of you still awaiting the restoration of your power. Village officials have been in constant contact with PSE&G, many times a day, to receive updates and progress reports, to report continuing outages or outages that have erroneously been reported as restored, and to strongly advocate for our residents and restore our power as soon as possible. Despite those efforts, every local government is ultimately still entirely dependent on PSE&G both as to repairs and restorations, as well as for information, as many of our neighbors facing similar challenges are. We have enlisted the support of our elected State Representatives, Assemblywoman Jasey …
With power out, and snow in the forecast, some locals may need to leave home
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
- Marcia Worth
-
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
South Orange Sheltering Information With power outages remaining in the Village and in anticipation of the Nor'easter storm forecast for tonight the Village is announcing the following shelters. When calling to utilize the shelter please advise the Police Desk if you need transportation to the shelter or have any special needs. Baird Center - 5 Mead Street Available immediately for South Orange residents Residents must check into Baird before 9pm Please call the South Orange Police Department, non-emergency number - 973 763 3000, to use the shelter. Baird has power, heat, and limited space for leashed pets Bring your own bedding, medications, clothes, and any other needs. Shery Tefilo - 432 Scotland Road Available …
Susan
3:27 pm on Thursday, December 13, 2012
The problem actually is that the utilities have become beholden to shareholders, not ratepayers or communities. As a result, they DIDN'T do the "few" along the way that should have been done - instead, the shareholders put the money in their pockets. So what's needed is a government with teeth (not captured by the private interests) who will demand that these changes are made (as they used to do… more ›