3-5 Days Without Power Is Devastating to Seasonal Businesses
Hey Governor Christie! Even though it makes you seem like a Democrat, I appreciate where you’re coming from with your Hurricane Irene Business Assistance.
Those $500K lines of credit while waiting for insurance proceeds will come in handy for many, but let’s be real, this is a subsidy to the insurance companies. Issue an executive order that the insurance companies must pay the interests on those loans and the claims will be paid faster.
If those banks we bailed out were lending, we wouldn’t need this program. I don’t expect you to fix that problem until you are President. Thanks for stepping in now.
By the way, Governor, your did a great job this weekend. You still are. The business assistance plan is needed, and it is wonderful that the Lt. Governor is out at the shore campaigning for people to come back for the rest of the season (rest of the week.)
BUT THEY WON’T COME BACK IF THERE IS NO POWER!
I know you have a lot on your plate. Did I mention that you’re doing a great job? I also know you’re talking to CEO’s of the public utilities companies, because you said so during one of your briefings before I lost power. When you’re talking to the CEO of First Energy, that guy in Ohio, tell him there are thousands of seasonal businesses and seasonal employees serviced by his JCP&L subsidiary that are counting on this week and this coming weekend for a large portion of there annual income.
In Highlands, the small town on the Shrewsbury River where I live, we have 23 restaurants and all of their employees who would rather be earning this week than applying for loans or unemployment benefits.
The lack of information coming from JCP&L to the public is unacceptable:
Jersey Central Power & Light
JCP&L is continuing to experience power outages due to the effects of Hurricane Irene. We are assessing damage and anticipate that many of our Customers will be restored in the next several days. In areas with more extensive damage, restoration is expected to continue throughout the week. Please treat all downed wires and damaged electrical equipment as live and dangerous. If you have not already reported your electric service as being out, call 1-888-544-4877.Time Posted: Aug 29, 2011 9:27 AM
That a lowly blogger can find out that JCP&L is telling OEM that we’ll be without power for 3-5 days before the main stream press knows is an indictment of both the press and the utility.
It seems to me that JCP&L’s response to outages has been wanting the last few years. I appreciate the magnitude of Irene, but I wonder if they’d be doing a better job if they weren’t owned by an Ohio company. Two business owners mentioned to me today how much better the service was before JCPL’s Belford location closed. We’d wonder about that less, and make less noise about it, if the lights go in the bayshore today.
3-5 days without power at this time of year is devastating to seasonal businesses and their employees. It’s like pulling the plug on the week before Christmas for Macy’s.
Governor, you got the Jets-Giants game switched to tonight, but no one will be watching the game at bars in Highlands.
I know you can influence that guy in Ohio’s priorities. Please do so. Monmouth County businesses need the lights on.
VOLUNTEERS CAME TOGETHER AND HELPED MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE AT COLTS NECK HIGH SCHOOL SHELTER
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande congratulated all the volunteers who helped more than 1,000 people seeking shelter from Hurricane Irene at Colts Neck High School this weekend.
“You learn a lot about a community during times of distress, and ours did an exceptional job coming together to help people during one of the worst storms ever to land in New Jersey,” Casagrande, R-Monmouth and Mercer, said. “Many volunteers stayed the entire weekend, whether cooking meals for hundreds of people or tending to health concerns. It was amazing to watch all the coordination and effort involved to protect very vulnerable people from nature’s fury. Our community can be proud of its selfless nature and communal spirit.”
Casagrande volunteered at the Red Cross shelter set up at Colts Neck High School, along with student members of the sports foundation, staff from Colts Neck and Freehold Regional high schools, the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey and Red Cross volunteers.
“There were so many volunteers helping so many people that it’s impossible to remember them all, but everyone deserves thanks and congratulations for a job well done,” Casagrande said. “I hope we never need another shelter like this, but if we do, everyone should consider helping out because it was such a rewarding experience.”
Send your photos to artvg AT aol Dot com or upload them to facebook and tag me.
West Front St in Keyport. Photo credit: Russ Cote
Salvation Army volunteers preparing meals at Holmdel High School shelter. 200 lunches and 500 dinners were served today. Photo credit: John Gallagher, a Salvation Army volunteer.
Salvation Army Equipment at Holmdel High School Shelter. Photo credit John Gallagher, a Salvation Army volunteer.
Surfers in Monmouth Beach. Photo credit: Joe Irace
Photo credit withheld to protect the guilty
Beans, bullets and bandages. Photo credit: James Hogan. See averagenoone.blogspot.com for more of Hogan's photos
Governor Chris Christie greeting evacuees at Rutgers, Piscataway. Photo credit: Tim Larsen/Governor's Office
Reception Centers and Emergency Evacuation information
Reception Centers – If you are a resident of one of the towns listed below and are interested in going to an emergency shelter, you should go to your local reception center. Shuttle bus transportation center will be provided to shelters. No pets will be allowed on the shuttle busses.
Aberdeen – Municipal Building, One Municipal Center
Asbury Park – Thurgood Marshall Elementary Monroe Avenue
Avon – Muncipal Bldg/Firehouse 301 Main Street
Belmar – Belmar Elemenetary School, 12th and Main Avenue
Bradley Beach – Bradley Beach Firehouse, 815 Main Street, after 6 p.m.
Freehold Boro – Courtroom at Rug Mill Towers Jackson Street
Howell – Howell Township High School 501 Squankum Yellow Brook Road
Keansburg – Bolger School 100 Palmer Place
Manalapan – Manalapan High School 20 Church Lane
Marlboro – Town Hall, 1979 Township Drive
Matawan – Municpal Community Center 201 Broad Street
Neptune – Neptune Township High School, 55 Neptune Blvd
Rumson – Rumson-Fair Haven High School, 224 Hance Road
Sea Bright – Rumson-Fair Haven High School, 224 Hance Road
Spring Lake – Fire Company #1 – 5th Avenue
Wall Township – Camp Evans area lot (Monmouth Blvd and Taft Street) Monmouth Blvd & Taft Street
Emergency Evacuation Centers – Residents living in coastal and low-lying areas are urged to evacuate voluntarily, especially those who have experienced flooding before.
If you are evacuating, please go to the home of a friend or family member who does not live in a coastal or low-lying area, preferably west of the Garden State Parkway. If you have nowhere to go, you can go to a Red Cross emergency shelter. Keep in mind, pets will not be permitted at the shelters.
Emergency Shelters that opened at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 26:
Holmdel High School, 36 Crawford’s Corner Rd., Holmdel
Pets are allowed in an adjacent building. Pets must be caged and have food, a bowl and a leash.
Wall High School, 1630 18th Ave., Wall Township. WALL HIGH SCHOOL IS FULL.
One Emergency Shelter is set to open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 27:
Colts Neck High School, 59 Five Points Road, Colts Neck
Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told MMM that “most reasonable people” are complying with the voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders in Monmouth County due to Hurricane Irene. Surfers are a notable exception.
“Surfers will be surfers,” said Golden, “We’re warning them that we will cease rescue operations with the gail force winds emerge.”
Golden said that the shelter at Holmdel High School had 160 people housed. Almost 200 people were sheltered at Wall High School. The county is coordinating with the Red Cross to open five addition shelters if needed. Colts Neck High School will be one of the shelters. The others will be announced via radio, through municipalities and on the county web site when and if they are about to be opened.
Middletown Mayor Anthony P. Fiore and the Office of Emergency Management have declared a mandatory evacuation as a result of impending Hurricane Irene. Areas subject to mandatory evacuation are:
All areas located between Route 36 and the Raritan/Sandy Hook Bay from the Keansburg border to the Atlantic Highlands Border.
ALSO
The following streets South of Route 36: Texas Avenue, Briarcliff Avenue, Montana Avenue, from Illinois Avenue to Pews Creek.
ALSO
Hartshorne Road in Navesink including Washington Lane, Clay Court, Tan Vat Road, Grand Tour, Indian Terrace, Wigwam Road
Mandatory evacuation is effective immediately. All residents must be out of these areas by noon on Saturday, August 27. No one will be permitted to return to these areas until they are deemed safe by local authorities.
For all other areas of Middletown, it is strongly recommended that you consider relocating to a safer location.
