Township needs to do more when storms move in

Despite sharing many of the deserved criticisms of JCP&L’s handling of the power outages caused by the Aug. 2 storms, my concerns rest more with the lack of information and support for Ocean Township’s residents from our administration and elected officials. We all depended upon rumors, most of which were ultimately inaccurate or patently false, as we received no news at all from our local government. As of Aug. 7, the township’s Web site was devoid of any reference to the storms and their aftermath. I suggest the following actions the township may consider in order to rectify this dearth of responsible government stewardship, and truly assist its residents in times of such emergency:

• Have the township’s webmaster or some other responsible party, post live updates upon the township’s Web site. (Residents, even those without electricity, may have battery-powered laptops, use their computers at work, use a friend’s or family member’s computer, etc.).

• Establish an e-mail "tree," whereby residents may be solicited to voluntarily provide the township an e-mail address to which the township may send periodic updates. This could also be used for non-emergency (and, of course, nonpolitical) purposes.

• Establish an emergency hotline residents may call, having adequately advertised its existence, to obtain information.

• Establish agreements with local radio stations to post periodic township informational updates. (Residents, even those without electricity, may well have battery-powered radios within their homes, places of work, cars, etc.)

• Establish agreements with local newspapers, particularly those with whom the township does advertising business, to publish periodic informational updates.

• Have the Ocean Township Police Department or some other official township entity, utilize political-like bull horns to report up-to-date information to the public by riding up and down the neighborhoods’ streets. Such a continuous police presence may provide a sense of security for some residents, particularly those concerned about break-ins, looting, and/or assaults when their homes are dark and burglar alarms don’t function.

Never again should the residents of Ocean Township be left in the lightless lurch by our elected officials and their managerial minions.

David H. Weiner

Wanamassa section

of Ocean Township