Mayor on Hurricane Response: We Did A Lot Well

We did a lot well. We could do a lot better.

That was the summary from Mayor Tim Dougherty, who spoke at Tuesday night's Town Council meeting on the overall response from town officials and emergency services

The mayor noted Morristown remained in contact with JCP&L–whose Ridgedale Avenue substation was submerged as a result of the storm, and is currently not in use–on a regular basis, getting information out to the public as soon as they received it.

"Any information was released directly through JCP&L. It was unfiltered," Dougherty said at the council meeting. "I know a lot of residents went days without power. I thank the residents for their patience.

"I don't think this is the last disaster northwest New Jersey will ever have to deal with," he said.

During the presentation, Dougherty presented a slideshow of some of the damage police, firefighters, Department of Public Works, Office of Emergency Management and others were facing during the storm, and in the days following it, as a saturated earth caused trees to uproot. Audible gasps could be heard in the audience, as in some shots, water cascaded past abandoned vehicles, and tree roots took both the ground and pavement above it.

"Natural disasters are natural disasters. It was a very devastating storm," Dougherty said.

The mayor noted, as he had several occasions since Hurricane Irene passed through, , which required JCP&L to reroute the entire Town of Morristown to other power sources while the substation remains offline. He said a retaining wall had been built around the substation after Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Despite that being projected to withstand "a 100-year storm, plus 50 percent," it was no match for the Whippany River when it crested, and overtook the area.

"That's one of the worst things that could happen to a substation," he said. "Losing a substation was someone no one prepared for. There was no 'Plan B.'"

Dougherty said the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) has launched an investigation into JCP&L's handling of the storm. The mayor, and Assm. Anthony Bucco (R-25), have called for at least one public meeting on the matter be conducted in Morristown.

Despite the troubles Morristown faced, Dougherty offered perspective following a recent Mayors Conference, where he heard of the disasters to other muncipalities, including permanently closed businesses and loss of life.

Despite the mayor's confidence in the job the town did to handle the storm–which he said included around-the-clock repairs, cleanups and pumpouts to flooded basements–he acknowledged more always can be done. He said in future disasters–should any occur–he would want a digital sign placed outside of Town Hall, alerting people to appropriate phone numbers, locations and other information.

"Thank you for your patience," he said to Morristown residents. "We sure will be prepared for the next one."