Red Bank Outlines Plan for Storm Aftermath

Without power and with limited internet access, Red Bank officials are spreading news about Hurricane Sandy aftermath updates the old fashioned way, with a fliers and a door-to-door information campaign.

Early Wednesday morning, following a meeting of department officials, Clerk Pam Borghi set to work printing out thousands of fliers offering residents an update of borough and county information. Though the winds and rains of Sandy are no longer a concern, there are still threats, including downed trees and wires that could become active once Jersey Central Power and Light reactivates the grid, according to Police Chief Stephen McCarthy.

The borough's emergency communication system has been on the fritz, he said, with some residents receiving emergency texts, some emergency emails, and some not receiving any communication from the borough. The borough has also had to deal with a persistent town-wide outage that is impacting all borough traffic lights - though borough hall did get power back, at least for the time being, around 1 p.m.

Still, though there have been hiccups in the system Red Bank did not receive the amount of damage sustained by other, mostly coastal towns.

"We are very fortunate compared to other communities. We have had trees down and power lines down, but we were fortunate," McCarthy said. "Our greatest concern is that when (JCP&L) energizes the grid that those downed wires will become active.They are very dangerous. Residents should keep a distance of at least 300 feet from downed lines."

The county still has a curfew in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. McCarthy asked that Red Bank residents respect the curfew saying that it's for their safety as well as the safety of the first responders who are still out there responding to calls.

On Wednesday, borough department of public works crews were still out and about collecting downed branches and tending to trees. Public Works Director Gary Watson said all roads are at least somewhat open though in cases where downed trees and poles have brought wires along with them. For that the borough is waiting for JCP&L.

"We have about five locations in the borough that have trees on wires, or where wires are down," Watson said. "Overall we fared very well when you look at the other towns that were hit."

From the borough's handout:

• Borough offices are closed for general services though limited staff is on hand to answer general questions.
• Trash and recycling will resume on its regular schedule
• Borough meetings and activities, including trick or treating, are canceled through Nov. 4
• Municipal Court for Nov. 1 is cancelled. New dates will be sent.
• Fourth quarter taxes can be paid through Nov. 13 with no late fee.
• County wide curfew is in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
• Power outages should be reported to JCP&L at 1-888-LIGHTSS (two s's).
• Use 9-1-1 for emergencies only.
• Share this message with your friends and family via social media, like Facebook and Twitter