Restoration efforts continue for JCP&L customers who lost power as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias. As of this evening, approximately 40 Mendham Township households remain without power. These areas encountered significant damage during the storm and have localized issues that require additional attention. According to JCP&L, these types of issues are the most time-consuming, labor intensive, and complex part of service restoration.
Once 100% of Mendham Township households are restored to power, we will do a full assessment with our Mendham Township and Morris County Offices of Emergency Management and JCP&L. Thank you for your patience over the last few days, we know it wasn’t easy.
Stay safe, and have a better week.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
Work crews have been working around the clock to get power back to Mendham Township households. Today, crews from Alabama and Ohio finished clearing all of the roads in the Township and have restored power to approximately 90% of town. The remaining areas have outstanding issues that require additional attention.
Our Office of Emergency Management was out on the roads today updating JCP&L on an hourly basis with individual homeowner issues. If you still remain without power, please contact me at sneibart(a)mendhamtownship.org with your address and JCP&L ticket number so that we can help advocate on your behalf.
Thank you, and stay safe.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
The Township Committee will meet on Monday, August 10, 2020, at 6:00 PM, for a special workshop to discuss the findings of the feasibility study with the Architects on the Municipal Building. The regularly scheduled Township Committee Meeting starts at 7:30 PM - agenda attached.
The special workshop and regular meeting will be held in-person at Town Hall, 2 West Main Street, Brookside, and via the virtual platform Zoom. The meeting room will be arranged to comply with the 6 feet social distancing requirement. Masks are required to enter the municipal building.
The public is welcome to join in-person or virtually. Kindly note the zoom access information on the last page of the agenda; the access information is the same for both meetings.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you,
Maria Coppinger
Township Clerk
973-543-4555 Ext. 211
As most areas around the state are having their power restored, many residents in Morris County still remain in the dark. Six crews worked on three different circuits related to the Mendham substation today. As of this evening, 864 Mendham Township households have had their power restored, and JCP&L is also hopeful to have 90% of Mendham restored by later tonight/early tomorrow morning.
Utility crews have replaced more than 68,000 feet of wire, hundreds of poles and crossarms, and worked through more than 360 road closures to repair service in NJ. However, if you are one of the 1,418 Mendham Township residents without power, I am sure that is no solace to you. Keeping in mind the hardships already endured by our community throughout the pandemic, we are doing everything we can to keep residents safe, open roads, provide access to water, and work with JCP&L to get the power on throughout the Township as quickly as possible.
Our first responders have also been hard at work. Over the last few days, our Mendham Township Fire Department has been called to 40 emergency incidents throughout the Township and our bordering towns. As the power lines get restored, a power surge can set off your smoke detector. To prevent from activating a false alarm, when the power comes back on, please wait a few minutes before turning on the main switch. To give the electrical system a chance to stabilize, turn on essential appliances first, then gradually turn on other electronics. If your HVAC won’t turn on after a storm, you may need to restart it. Some units require you to turn off the thermostat, reset the circuit breaker, and wait a period of time before restarting the system.
If you have an elderly or at risk family member/friend that you need us to check on, please contact (973) 543-4555 ext. 211 and leave a message. If it is something of an urgent nature, please contact the Mendham Township Police Department directly at (973) 543-2581 and dial 0.
There are cell phone charging stations outside of the Ralston and Brookside Firehouses as well as hoses with non-potable water. For access to a cooling center, please email me directly at sneibart(a)mendhamtownship.org.
We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. Stay safe.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
It has been over 48 hours since Tropical Storm Isaias hit New Jersey, and unfortunately, the majority of Mendham Township residents are still without power. The Mendham Township Office of Emergency Management has been in constant contact with JCP&L and county and state officials. This evening, I was alerted that JCP&L hopes to restore power to 85% of New Jerseyans by tomorrow - Friday, August 7th. The notice that the majority of customers will be restored by Tuesday, August 11th is a global Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR). This worst-case estimate is generated at the beginning of the assessment process and, in many cases, later replaced by a more specific restoration estimate.
In addition to the distribution lines that are affected by falling trees, and poles and wires coming down, the transmission system has also been damaged considerably. This has disrupted everything down the line including substations and transformers. Crews have come in from Canada, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington, DC, and many Midwestern states. There are in excess of 2,000 out-of-state crews who are assisting in New Jersey’s restoration process.
At the peak of this week’s storm, 1.4 million people were without power. In comparison, during Super Storm Sandy’s peak, NJ had 1.7 million customers without power.
Our Department of Public Works has also been working around the clock to clear the fallen trees and brush off our roads. At this point, the only fallen trees that have not been cleared on Township roads are trees that are tangled in power lines. DPW cannot clear those trees until JCP&L confirms that there are no live wires on the scene. As of this afternoon, Leddell Road and Hamilton Drive are reopened.
Unfortunately, there are still a few roads that are impassable. Please do not drive on closed roads or around barricades, wires or cones.
Charging stations have been set up at the Brookside and Ralston Firehouses where residents can come charge their electronic devices from 9am to 9pm. If you need access to non-potable water, there is a hose available for public use at both firehouses 24/7. If you have any questions, please call the Mendham Township Emergency Operations Center at (973) 543-7213.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
Over the last 36 hours, our first responders have been working directly with JCP&L to mitigate the damage caused by storm Isaias. Crews have been working at the Mendham Substation since yesterday afternoon to restore power to our 2,000+ Mendham Township households. Crews are prepared to work through the night and into the upcoming days.
Our Department of Public of Works has also been working around the clock to clear the fallen trees and brush off our roads. There are 83 miles of roads in Mendham Township, and DPW is working quickly to open each road safely. As of this afternoon, Roxiticus and Ironia Roads are reopened.
Unfortunately, there are still many roads that are impassable. Do not drive on a closed road or around a barricade, wires or cones. Charging stations have been set up at the Brookside and Ralston Firehouses where residents can come charge their electronic devices from 9am to 9pm. If you need access to non-potable water, there is a hose available for public-use at both firehouses 24hrs a day. If you have any questions, call the Mendham Township Emergency Operations Center at (973) 543-7123.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
Currently, the JCP&L outage map is showing that 99% of Mendham Township customers are out of power. For the last few hours, the Police Department, Fire Department, First Aid Squad, Department of Public Works, and our Office of Emergency Management, have been working with JCP&L to address the immediate safety issues and assess the damage throughout the Township. There is a significant number of broken poles, downed wires, and equipment damage throughout town.
There are about a million people in New Jersey without power. This is the third largest outage event throughout our state, and unfortunately, many high power critical facilities like hospitals are also out of power. We are working with the power company to ensure that power is restored as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this is expected to be a multi-day restoration effort. JCP&L will continue to assess the effort and update restoration times.
The Fire Department has set up a charging station outside the Brookside Firehouse where residents can come charge their electronic devices from 9:00am - 9:00pm. If you need access to non-potable water, there is a hose available for public-use 24hrs a day.
For access to a cooling center, please call Town Hall directly at (973) 543-4555 or email sneibart(a)mendhamtownship.org.
We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. Stay safe, and please be patient.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
Governor Murphy Declares State of Emergency in Response to Hurricane Isaias: Today, Governor Phil Murphy declared that New Jersey will enter a State of Emergency beginning on Tuesday, August 4th at 5:00 a.m., ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Executive Order No. 174 declares a State of Emergency across all 21 counties in New Jersey, allowing resources to be deployed throughout the state during the duration of the hurricane. Additionally, all state offices will be closed on August 4th.
We are currently experiencing a rain event. Today's forecast suggests that we may experience some thunderstorms this morning and afternoon, with an anticipated conclusion early this evening, as Tropical Storm Isaias exits towards the north-northeast. Winds will increase towards midday and afternoon, with gusts to 55-60 mph possible. Sustained winds of 18-34 mph will also remain possible through the midday and afternoon hours before decreasing after 5:00-6:00pm this evening. Isaias is expected to push north after 6:00pm, with some additional chances for isolated to scattered showers from about 8:00pm until approximately midnight.
Please use extreme caution when driving on the wet roads.
The increased rain can result in drivers easily losing control of their vehicle.
We would also ask that the public NOT call 9-1-1 for power related issues unless it is a TRUE EMERGENCY.
In addition, the 9-1-1 system should not be used for any other non-emergent calls. We want to make sure that our 9-1-1 operators are able to focus on true storm emergencies and we ask that the public cooperate in this regard.
Potential Power Outage Information (JCP&L):
* We have been in contact with our partners at Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) and they are closely monitoring this storm.
* In the event that power outages occur due to severe weather, customers without power are encouraged to report their outage by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), clicking the "Report Outage" link on www.firstenergycorp.com<http://www.firstenergycorp.com>, or texting "OUT" to 544487.
* Customers should immediately report downed wires to 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or call their local police department. JCP&L reminds customers to stay away from downed wires, even if they believe they are no longer carrying electricity. Downed trees may create road hazards, and may be entangled with power lines. Extreme caution should be used. Motorists are cautioned to treat intersections with inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.
* JCP&L customers can subscribe to email and text message alert notifications to receive weather updates in advance of major storms and updates on scheduled or extended power outages. Visit www.firstenergycorp.com/connect<http://www.firstenergycorp.com/connect> to enroll.
* Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL<http://www.facebook.com/JCPandL> or online at www.jcp-l.com<http://www.jcp-l.com>.
A couple of other reminders:
* Take care of your animals and don't put them outside when storm conditions are significant and potentially dangerous.
* Check on the elderly and those with special needs to make sure they have adequate supplies and that they have a plan in the event that power is out.
* Secure & remove lawn and deck furniture as well as other items that could easily be impacted by the wind.
Stay Safe!
Mendham Township OEM
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Due to the incoming tropical storm, National Night Out has been postponed until Wednesday, August 12. We hope to see you then for what's to be a superb celebration of community!
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The NJDOH Commissioner announced earlier this week that there have been several instances over the last few weeks where indoor and outdoor gatherings have led to community clusters of COVID-19 throughout our state. And, today, Governor Murphy put residents on notice that he may pause or revise New Jersey’s reopening if COVID-19 cases continue to climb.
I understand that everyone wants to spend time with family and friends, but we must gather safely. For the sake of your own health and the health of our community, if you are having a gathering, please host it outside. Also, encourage any attendees who are sick or have been required to quarantine because of a recent exposure, to stay home.
The Mendham Township Recreation Department has been hard at work planning safe, outdoor activities for our community members. This Tuesday, Mendham Township is hosting its first ever National Night Out event at the Mendham Township Elementary School parking lot and Brookside Beach from 6:00pm - 10:00pm. National Night Out enhances the relationship between residents and law enforcement while fostering a true sense of community. This Tuesday, August 4th, join the Mendham Township Police Department, Mendham Township First Aid Squad, Brookside Engine Company, Ralston Engine Company, the Mendhams Stigma-Free Task Force, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office for an evening of education and fun. Explore a variety of emergency vehicles: fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, and more! We will also be having a special K-9 demonstration. Dinner will be provided by food trucks, there will be DJ entertainment, we will have a Dunk an Officer for a Cause booth, and we will be screening Zootopia!
On Saturday, August 15th, Mendham Township’s Recreation Department and Environmental Commission are hosting a night hike and bonfire at Meadowood Park. A seasoned hiker and local naturalist will guide residents through the trails at Meadowood, explaining the historic use of the property, helping identify plant species, and pointing out animal signs. The event starts at 7:30pm, and the hike will commence at 8:00pm. After the hike, stay for a bonfire, campfire songs, s’mores, and social distancing fun! As part of the registration fee, you will receive a box of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. This is in addition to a branded Mendham Township Recreation blanket. Register on Community Pass<https://register.communitypass.net/reg/cat_program_class_detail.cfm?s=&t=&s…> or email dguida(a)mendhamtownship.org.
If you choose to attend a Mendham Township event or recreate on your own, remain cautious and vigilant. A safe summer activity means continuing to keep your distance, wearing a mask, having hand sanitizer nearby, washing your hands frequently, and staying home if you’re not feeling well. Any version of summertime fun will require each person to do his or her part to keep everyone safe.
Sarah Neibart
Mayor, Mendham Township
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