SOUTH BRUNSWICK — South Brunswick Township has been making steady strides toward a full recovery after Hurricane Sandy knocked out most power in the town Oct. 29, and knocked down hundreds of trees, resulting in a gnarl of traffic, the suspension of municipal services and school cancellations.
After Sandy ripped through the area, the majority of South Brunswick residents did not have power and township offices and the police station ran off of generator power.
The township placed driving restrictions some evenings due to the lack of streetlights and an abundance of hazardous road conditions. Traffic came to a halt on Route 27 and Route 130 as hundreds of downed trees caused road closures on multiple South Brunswick roads and brought down telephone poles and power wires.
Several access points to Route 1 were shut as well as Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) worked to restore power to traffic lights.
However, the town was spared major damage to homes throughout the township, although some homes sustained damage from fallen trees.
“We had no loss of life, thank God,” South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese told the Sentinel. “We do have shingles and shutters and things like that, but it’s minor stuff.”
Gambatese said that there was no flooding in the township despite the various streams that run throughout, but there were a few house fires from candle use during the power outage.
“We were very concerned with the hot wires that were down all over the place,” Gambatese said.
Township police knocked on doors all over town to locate those with disabilities so that they could give them access to generator power for medical equipment.
“I’m really pleased with the public workers in our township,” Gambatese said.
The township also has been handling 911 calls from Plainsboro and Monroe, since their townships were out of power and unable to handle the calls.
The largest frustration in South Brunswick was the slow restoration to power, Gambatese said.
“There are a lot of people whose patience, understandably, is wearing thin,” Gambatese said. “If your power is out for four to five days, you don’t want to know from anything and you feel like you are the only one without power.”
South Brunswick is eligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who granted access to its assistance to all 21 New Jersey counties.
“The township buildings do not have any structural or flood damage at this time,” Gambatese said. “Right now, we are just gathering information and making sure that every single dollar spent by the municipality by this recovery effort is being accounted for.”
Those who wish to apply for FEMA assistance may visit www.fema.gov to begin the registration process.