HILLSBOROUGH: Leaders plot recovery from storm

By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
   Life returned to some semblance of normal this week as Hillsborough and New Jersey recovered from Hurricane Sandy’s wrath.
   The township that suffered from storms that brought heavy rain (August) and then snow (October) in 2011, saw the latest storm’s damage caused mostly by ferocious wind. Uprooted, toppled or twisted trees all over the township closed roads and brought down power lines and poles.
   On Wednesday, the two power companies that served the township showed that 860 families in the township were still without power. Surprisingly JCP&L’s coverage area on the heavily wooded Sourland Mountain and in the western part of the township had relatively few customers who lost power. On Monday, it was about 200 customers, by Wednesday, data showed 28.
   But PSE&G coverage area had about 843 customers out as of Wednesday — more than a full week after the height of the storm.
   Officials from several Somerset County municipalities were gathered together in an impromptu meeting Monday afternoon in the township municipal building. They heard PSE&G President Ralph LaRossa explain why the repair effort was complicated and tedious. He talked about system circuitry and public priorities in layman’s terms, said Township Administrator Anthony Ferrera.
   Ms. Simon, who won a one-year term for Assembly on Tuesday, introduced legislation in September that would require utilities to improve response and communication during outages.
   The meeting, arranged by Assemblywoman Donna Simon, and saw Congressman Leonard Lance, state Sen. Christopher Bateman and Somerset Freeholder Patricia Walsh attend. Officials from Bound Brook, Rocky Hill, Montgomery and Manville had just minutes to respond and attend, he said.
   Committeewoman Gloria McCauley, who attended with Committeeman Doug Tomson, said she asked where the utility would put their money in the future to minimize such disaster effects. She said she was told it costs about $1 million to $2 million per mile to bury utility wires.
   As of Wednesday the township said there were four roads closed in JCP&L’s territoy and seven in PSE&G’s.
   Administrator Ferrera, who came to his job in August after a post in the state Department of Labor, reached to his state connections and background for help.
   He said he asked the governor’s office that Somerset County be included on a list of counties eligible to receive federal disaster unemployment assistance as a result of the hurricane. The program is open to people who were unemployed as a direct result of the storm and were also long-term unemployed and no longer receiving benefits.
   People who meet the unemployment criteria and have a skills that may be applicable could call 908-541-5780 or email [email protected] and ask about the Hurricane Sandy Disaster National Emergency Grant.
   The employees would be temporary, and the federal government would pay a maximum of $12,000 for up to six months, plus an administrative cost to Greater Raritan Workforce Investment Board for coordinating requests.
   Mr. Ferrera , whose state job included applying for national emergency grants, said he had volunteered to help other Somerset County municipalities also apply.
   Mr. Ferrera said he would seek money for 18 possible hires for township. If granted, most of them (12) would be assigned to the DPW, with one for the health office and five for social services for help in the food pantry and future shelters, he said.
   He said he saw that help as a way to avoid township staff from working many hours of overtime at a cost to the township. That help might be filled fast; the paperwork has to be received by the state by Nov. 16.
   He also made phone calls to see if a crew of a dozen or so young workers from the N.J. Youth Corps could be assigned to Hillsborough, particularly to help elderly or disabled citizens in cleaning up their properties. The voluntary program gives 16- to 25-year-olds community service projects.
   He said he expected a crew of six to eight to come to Hillsborough from Nov. 12-15 and 26-28 specifically to help needy seniors and disabled citizens with storm-related tasks, like getting logs and debris to the DPW yard. He stressed that a small crew with a limited time frame would be assigned only to the neediest cases, and encouraged residents to fill most of the need by reaching out to neighbors who might need help.
   Seniors who feel they need help are asked to call the township DPW.
   He praised the township teamwork and relationships that worked so hard and effectively during the storm and aftermath.
   ”I don’t think people missed one meeting,” during the storm, he said about heads of emergency management, public works, police, rescue, schools and social services. The teamwork helped the township communicate a consistent message over Nixle, the township web site and Channel 29 on cable TV, he said.
   Voters in about 40 percent of Hillsborough cast ballots Tuesday in a location with which they were unaccustomed, as power outages caused relocation of 14 of the township’s 33 polling places.
   The changes meant that about 11,500 of the 26,570 eligible voters were assigned to vote in the gymnasium of the high school on Raider Boulevard.
   Polls were moved from Mary, Mother of God Church, Woods Road firehouse and Sunnymead, Amsterdam, Woodfern and Woods Road schools.
Fire Company No. 3 on Woods Road was without power Monday and operating on generators.
   Schools were closed Monday and had been scheduled to close on Election Day. Schools reopened for a full day on Wednesday. Woods Road was the only one of nine schools without power — with crews especially working in that area — on Monday.
   Cancellation of the N.J. Education Association convention gave Superintendent Jorden Schiff hope that 90 percent of staff would be at work those days, he said Monday.
   Wednesday through Friday had been on the school calendar as “off” days for students. The school has now used the two “snow” days built into the calendar, meaning that the schools would have to make up any day they close for winter weather.
   Dr. Schiff said school facilities came through the storm fine — other than tree damage — with the most noticeable damage coming to the press box at the high school sports field.
   As tactfully as possible, administration office workers handle phone calls from harried residents asking when power would come back on. One man came in to ask if the town would pick up logs from a downed tree. It won’t, but it will accept brush and debris at its Auten Road yard. Workers were assigned there on both Saturday and Sunday.
   Libraries were packed Friday, with just about every seat taken up from people seeking respite from cabin fever for their kids, to people seeking Internet access or electricity. Hundreds of people used the wireless Internet and phone charging stations or just shared stories and got warm.
   ”We set up movies in our program room for the kids, set up extra tables and chairs. Even FEMA was here and gave us information to hand out to our patrons,” said Mary Nunn of the library staff.
   ” I was so proud of our library staff for stepping up and helping out wherever it was needed,” said Ms. Nunn. “The idea of the library as a community center and third place was obvious, and I know we truly made a difference at a difficult time. It was a busy day but very rewarding.”