Cleanup takes most of post-storm focus
By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Township Administrator Anthony Ferrera estimated Tuesday that there were fewer than 10 homes in the township without power — quite a difference from the hundreds of darkened by the effects of devastating winds of Hurricane Sandy of two weeks ago.
Mr. Ferrera said PSE&G reported zero outages and JCP&L five to 10 isolated issues. Even last week, there were more than 850 homes in the township without power.
He said his office hadn’t received one call about power issues in the last few days.
There were other signs the township was beginning to make a dent in removing hundreds of trees and branches that literally trapped people in their houses, school Superintendent Jorden Schiff said Monday night at the Board of Education meeting.
A crew of 18 forest management professionals from Arizona were assigned to the township by the Federal Emergency Management Administration. They spent four days clearing huge trees from such places as a Flagtown park and a macadam bike path behind homes to the Amsterdam School. (See accompanying story.)
A New Jersey Youth Corps team of 16- to 25-year-olds from Trenton started Tuesday and were expected to be in the township for 12 days, Mr. Ferrera said.
Department of Public Works Director Buck Sixt had created a list of 57 senior citizens and disabled who had asked for help in repair and cleanup tasks from the hurricane.
Mr. Ferrera said he hoped 12 workers for which he applied under a federal program would be in the township soon. He helped Hillsborough and other municipalities apply to hire unemployed workers for storm cleanup.
Under the auspices of the Greater Raritan Workforce Investment Board, Hillsborough and other municipalities will participate in the U.S. Department of Labor’s $15.6 million National Emergency Grant program.
Concerned seniors without power might be out of touch about potential help, Mr. Ferrera said he asked five or six employees in the social services and health departments to knock on “a couple of hundred” doors of seniors at the end of last week. They went to areas where power still was out and offered shelter, water and information on services the township could offer. The senior bus stood ready to take seniors to destinations, he said.
Mr. Ferrera said the township paid for three families to stay at Day’s Inn and carried the cost of laundry services for other families.
The federal workforce program will give temporary jobs to unemployed residents. Applicants must have been displaced from jobs temporarily or permanently due to the hurricane or been unemployed more than six months and exhausted unemployment benefits.
In Somerset, individuals can start the application process by calling 908-704-3000 or attending a employment services orientation offered Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. at the Employment Services office at 75 Veterans Memorial Drive East, Somerville.
Job-seekers also may send emails to [email protected] or call 877-682-6238 or 1-800-233-5005.
While Hillsborough was without power, there were few enough emergencies for the Hillsborough Rescue Squad to be able to help elsewhere.
At about 3 a.m. Oct. 30, the New Jersey State Emergency Medical Services Task Force asked Somerset County to send an ambulance “strike team” to assist in Monmouth County, said C. David Gwin, chief of the Hillsborough squad.
The Somerset County EMS Bureau relayed the request to local squad chiefs. At 5 a.m., a team of ambulances from Green Knoll/Martinsville, Hillsborough, Liberty Corner/Basking Ridge, Manville and Somerville departed for Monmouth where they spent about 12 hours assisting with EMS and rescue assignments, Mr. Gwin said.

