Sunday, April 28, 2013
Insurance companies blame 2011's Tropical Storm Irene, Halloween nor'easter — not Sandy — for highest in nation auto rate increase.
New Jersey motorists, who currently pay among the highest rates for auto insurance now, are going to have to dig a bit deeper into their wallets to pay for increases in auto insurance, according to published report Sunday. Insurers and state regulators are saying Hurricane Sandy, which devastated portions of the state including the Jersey Shore, is not the reason for state approving rate increases for 26 insurers thus far in 2013, according to a NorthJersey.com report. Instead, officials blame the rate increases on losses related to Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween nor’easter from two years ago, medical costs that continue to rise, reinsurance expenses and dim forecasts of investment income, the report said. Allstate, New Jersey …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
JCP&L instituted new communications, repair plans after last year's major storms—will it be enough?
Two months after New Jersey residents recovered from flooding and damage caused by 2011's Hurricane Irene, the area was hit with a severe winter storm. The storm's snowfall piled more than a foot deep in many areas, and the heavy, wet precipitation snapped tree limbs and utility poles, causing massive power outages that in some cases took a week to repair. And on the anniversary of that storm, New Jersey is facing a potentially more dangerous storm: Hurricane Sandy, which has already claimed lives in the Carribean and is currently forecast to reach the area Monday morning—just in time to collide with a possible winter storm. Keeping a close eye on the storms are meteorologists with JCP&L, which says employees have already been put on alert…
As predictions about 'Frankenstorm' grew worse by Thursday, towns mobilized while residents began stocking up.
We were so close. While 2011 made a lot of noise in its second half with both Tropical Storm Irene and what was dubbed "Snowtober"—the late-October snowstorm that buried this area—2012 had been a relatively quiet year here as far as natural disasters were concerned. And, then came Sandy. While several days still separate us from this weather event, some already are predicting it to be a big deal, going so far as to dub it "Frankenstorm." Whether or not dire predictions play out, folks around here already are preparing for the worst. "All of a sudden, people started coming in today," said Bob Sage, an employee at Morristown Lumber on Ridgedale Avenue. "Sales have been pretty aggressive." The most popular items to jump off the shelves there…
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Recently-released state Board of Public Utilities report charges FirstEnergy affiliate with being more concerned with image during Irene.
JCP&L, since Hurricane Irene in August 2011, has said it has committed a lot of money and resources toward improving not only how the utility communicates with its customers, but also how it runs its business. The state Board of Public Utilities, however, handed down a verdict in a recent report that states the FirstEnergy affiliate first spent more energy trying to save face, according to a NJBIZ.com article. The article notes the BPU report cites JCP&L's initial two Irene press releases from Aug. 28 and Aug. 25, 2011, the latter three days before the storm actually hit New Jersey. JCP&L "gave no indication that restoration could take several days or longer. Advice to customers appeared to have secondary importance," according to the BPU …
Friday, September 14, 2012
Alexander Hamilton School hardest hit after 2011 storm.
If you were a fan of the orchestrea pit in the Alexander Hamilton Elementary School auditorium, we have some bad news. After Hurricane Irene caused the Mills Street school to become to worst damaged building in the Morris School District as a result of the storm, officials had some easy decisions to make. There was furniture, flooring, books, heating units to replace. All of that was obvious and would be covered by insurance, about $400,000 worth. But, then there was the auditorium, with its oft-maligned orchestra pit, a reminder of a bygone era when Alexander Hamilton—built in 1932—was a middle school and the pit actually got use. For the third-through-fifth grades now at the school, it was a potential accident waiting to happen. And, as …
40.801218
-74.489783
Alexander Hamilton Elementary School
24 Mills St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/fresh-auditorium-final-piece-in-school-s-post-irene-puzzle
69320
/locations/7839275
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Better communication, more employees just some of what the company has invested $200 million in, according to Don Lynch.
As the anniversary of Irene's unwelcome appearance over the region arrives—and as another storm looms large in the Gulf just seven years after Hurricane Katrina—not many signs of last year's hurricane are still apparent. At Alexander Hamilton Elementary School, final repairs are underway to the gym floor that was severely damaged by Irene. But the fence separating Cauldwell Playground from the Whippany River that was twisted so much it was unrecognizable has long since been replaced. One of the harshest visual icons of the storm, the sight of Martin Luther King Avenue turning into a river, receded soon after Irene passed. Another symbol of the storm, the shutdown of Jersey Central Power & Light's Ridgedale Avenue substation, took a little …
What has changed, what has stayed the same?
After Hurricane Irene had its way with Morristown in August 2011, Patch went back out to photograph areas we had photographed during the storm. It wasn't a pretty sight. One year later, we returned to those same spaces to see what had changed, and what had stayed the same.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Leave comments and upload photos of the storm that ravaged Morristown in August 2011.
The rains poured. The winds blew. Floodwaters crested the Whippany River, turning part of Martin Luther King Avenue and much of the surrounding area into a river. And, of course, the JCP&L substation went under. Suffice to say, Hurricane Irene was not just another storm for Morristown. As the one-year anniversary approaches, Morristown Patch is sharing the thoughts and insights of folks affected by the storm–the residents, businesses and those who had to head out and clean up the mess. We have already looked at the "after," one year after our previous "before and after" photo series. Now, we want to hear from you. If you have any thoughts or photos about Hurricane Irene, how it affected you, and how things are one year later, share them …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Company honored by town for donating personal hygiene supplies after Hurricane Irene.
When a natural disaster strikes like August’s Hurricane Irene, it sometimes takes the help of outside sources to get a town back on its feet. On Tuesday night, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty and the Morristown Council recognized one such source for its efforts. The source was Colgate-Palmolive, which offered a helping hand to the town in the form of the donation of personal hygiene supplies to those in need in the days following the storm. “On top of what local businesses did, and local business owners, we also have corporations that we’d like to recognize,” Dougherty said. “We did not want to go without recognizing what you guys did for our community and surrounding communities.” Representing Colgate-Palmolive were Maureen Smith, James …
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-74.47466
Morristown Town Hall
200 South St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/colgate-palmolive-recognized-for-relief-efforts
67851
/locations/7198566
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Guerriero's Ristorante and the Morris Street location of Dunkin' Donuts, feted for donating food to emergency employees during Hurricane Irene.
Being a first responder during a natural disaster is tough enough. Now, imagine trying to do that on an empty stomach. The town has acknowledged this and, on Tuesday night, honored two local businesses for keeping those involved in coordinating emergency efforts during Hurricane Irene well-fed. Owners of Guerriero's Ristorante, on South Street, and the Dunkin' Donuts location on Morris Street both received honors, including ceremonial "keys to the city," at the May 22 Town Council meeting. Jack Guerriero, owner of the Italian restaurant, for supplying Italian staples like sausage and peppers and pasta for everyone that was camped out at Town Hall for several days during the late summer incident, and Dwar Patel, owner of the Morris Street …
40.797522
-74.47808
Dunkin' Donuts
59 Morris St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/town-honors-2-businesses-for-feeding-first-responders
67170
/locations/7078157
40.79093
-74.47466
Morristown Town Hall
200 South St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/town-honors-2-businesses-for-feeding-first-responders
67851
/locations/7078158
40.792479
-74.476532
Guerriero's Ristorante
162 South St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/town-honors-2-businesses-for-feeding-first-responders
68536
/locations/7078159
Peggy Davison
1:17 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thanks for the link Chris! After reading the article, I too am confused as to why our rates are so high, and rising. It simply does not make any sense! more ›