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Sussex County officials describe storm response and press utility for better communication
Summary
Officials described multiagency storm response after July 3–4 outages, pledged to track county costs for possible state emergency funding, and said staff will meet with Jersey Central Power & Light to address communication shortcomings.
County officials told the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners on July 8 that crews have been coordinating with the Office of Emergency Management and utilities to clear downed trees and restore service following severe storms on July 3–4.
A county staff member said crews remained active throughout the week to clear hazards and that public works coordinated closely with the county OEM. "Down utility lines represent a significant hazard," the speaker said, urging residents not to remove road-closure barricades.
The administrator and county staff have been in repeated communication with Jersey Central Power & Light and the governor's office, the staff member said, and will continue to press for assistance. The speaker said Sussex County is among two New Jersey counties that did not receive earlier state emergency financial assistance after extensive winter outages, and as a result the county is tracking storm-related costs for possible emergency funding requests.
The chair and other commissioners thanked lineworkers and first responders for restoring electricity under dangerous conditions. The board said staff will keep a full accounting of expenses and that the sheriff and an administrator will hold a conference with JCP&L to follow up on communication issues.
No final decisions on state funding were made at the meeting; staff were directed to document costs and report back to the board.
