Not All Power Restored After Utility Pole Accident Repairs Completed

The work is done at Washington and Mills, but some that somehow never lost power from last week's hurricane now remain in the dark.

Unfortunately, no one seems to know why. And, if they do, they're not telling.

Amidst another storm coming through our area Wednesday, JCP&L and Verizon crews finished repairing and replacing utility poles that were knocked down Tuesday morning at the intersection after an independently-owned garbage truck caught low-hanging power lines and dragged them down.

Crews were out most of the day Wednesday and appeared finished by 6 p.m., as wet snow fell on Morristown. However, a follow-up inspection immediately after revealed additional work needed and the whole project did not wrap up until a couple hours later.

And while what The Weather Channel decided to call "Winter Storm Athena" did not appear to cause much more additional damage to an area " some that lost power from the utility pole accident remained without power by Thursday.

"We're trying to find out why there is power restored to some and not others," Morristown Business Administrator Michael Rogers said. "As far their work, it's completed. We don't know if they need to come back for something. It has been hard to get any specific information for JCP&L. We're trying to get answers."

The vocal confusion and frustration seems to be mounting against the utility, not only from those still without electricity but from officials that had up to this point held comments in check. On Wednesday, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty issued a statement saying that JCP&L had not met its estimated seven-to-10 day timeframe for full power restoration, and that the utility had now finally given a Saturday, Nov. 10 projection for that goal.

Meanwhile, several calls and email inquiries to JCP&L by Patch have not been returned in several days.

"It's been frustrating," Rogers said. "It has been continued frustration that we share with our residents and it's—I can only look to JCP&L to hopefully learn from this experience on how they can improve."

The business administrator said people continue to call the town as well as stop into Town Hall—where a storm information booth remains in the lobby—to ask questions and to vent.

"We're all in the same boat here on what information we get and don't get and the frustration of not receiving more specifics," he said.