Monday, September 3, 2012
The strengthening system could send swells toward the Jersey Shore next week.
Tropical Storm Leslie continues to gain strength and move northward, and the storm could become the first hurricane of the season felt by the Jersey Shore. The projected track of the storm comes nowhere near the East Coast, but there's a good chance that the New Jersey coast will see increased surf from the distant storm by the middle or end of the week. Leslie's sustained winds were 60 mph on Sunday, but the National Hurricane Center predicts that the storm will become a hurricane (sustained winds of at least 74 mph) within three or four days. The storm is moving on a path north toward Bermuda, and forecasters predict it will remain over the open water of the Atlantic Ocean. But since the tropical system is newly formed, the National …
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The couple will have been happily married for one year Sunday.
One year ago Sunday, then-Jessy Phifer walked down the isle a little earlier than she had planned. Hurricane Irene had gotten to just about everything. Stores were shutting down, the parkway was closed off, communities were evacuating and Phifer's wedding was canceled. “The day of our wedding was crazy,” now-Jessy Phifer Cannon said. “We were supposed to have our rehearsal that day.” Phifer, 30, originally from Lacey Township and her husband Shaun Cannon, 31, a native of Florida, were set for their wedding on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011, at the United Methodist Church on Lacey Road. The chaos began two days prior to the planned wedding date, when Phifer was notified by the reception venue Bayfront in Waretown that there had been a power surge…
An event that mobilized and galvanized a region that was determined to stay safe
Some say it was the big storm that wasn't very big at all. A year ago this weekend, Hurricane Irene plowed into the East Coast with a roar, churning up the shoreline and leaving shuttered businesses and displaced families in its wake. By the time it got to the Jersey Shore, however, the storm that once packed 115 mph winds had fizzled into a tropical storm that felled trees, flooded roads and knocked out power to tens of thousands, but kept many more free from harm. Still, few argue that Hurricane Irene did something that had rarely - if ever - been done before, doing as much to bring together the Jersey Shore, and give it the good name it has long had, that many believe a certain MTV show has not. It galvanized and mobilized a region that…
Friday, August 24, 2012
The power conglomerate was criticized by many local officials for its response to Hurricane Irene but steps taken to improve service and communication have softened harsh criticisms.
Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna had scathing words for Jersey Central Power and Lighting following Hurricane Irene’s appearance at the Jersey Shore. In the wake of last August’s storm, tens of thousands of area residents were left without power for days on end, and when efforts to reach out to the power company for answers were largely unsuccessful, town officials were left wondering whether it was incompetence or if JCP&L simply didn’t care. What it came down to, Menna said, was JCP&L just wasn’t prepared. It’s been a year since Hurricane Irene appeared in eastern Monmouth County as a tropical storm, bringing with it plenty of wind and rain, but only a fraction of the anticipated ferocity. What towns like Red Bank and Shrewsbury found, in …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Season starts this week
It was less than a year ago that Hurricane Irene inflicted serious damage on the east coast of the United States. In Red Bank and Shrewsbury alone, thousands of residents and dozens of businesses were without power for days, as crews scrambled to amend the mess. With hurricane season officially starting on Friday the state is taking steps to try and avoid a repeat of Irene in 2012. (Check out the videos above for scenes from Hurricane Irene during and following its wake) New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Director Edward Dickson and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes recently announced some of the changes being made. That includes an increase in communication to help residents prepare for …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The power company is revamping its communications system, due to the widespread damage of Hurricane Irene.
JCP&L is hitting the ground running, after enduring public criticism as a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in 2011. The power company, which services municipalities across New Jersey, is launching a community outreach program which encompasses everything from better communication on the ground to a daily conference call with the company president for local government officials during a natural disaster. Shrewsbury Mayor Donald Burden called Jersey Central Power and Light's response to Hurricane Irene disappointing. Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna called it a "dismal failure." When Hurricane Irene hit the New Jersey Coast, it left thousands without power and communities without information about when they could expect to get it back. …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The energy conglomerate promises to invest nearly $200 million to improve infrastructure and emergency response.
Shrewsbury Mayor Donald Burden called Jersey Central Power and Light's response to Hurricane Irene disappointing. Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna called it a "dismal failure." When Hurricane Irene hit the New Jersey Coast, it left thousands without power and communities without information about when they could expect to get it back. More so than the outages, officials were upset with the power company's near-complete lack of communication with towns following the storm. Left in the dark, leaders from all levels of state government registered their frustrations with the company and demanded swift action. More than six months later, JCP and L is hoping it can remedy the situation by investing nearly $200 million with the express purpose of …
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Dempsey and Doherty say company cares more about profits than customers
As two northern New Jersey municipalities are asking the state for permission to switch from Jersey Central Power & Light to another electricity provider, the mayors of Manasquan and Belmar, whose residents are JCP&L customers, said they wished they could do the same. Last week, Robbinsville and Warren Township filed requests to the state Board of Public Utilities for permission to switch to Public Service Electric & Gas, while 14 other towns are also considering the same move, the Star Ledger reported Dec. 2. But both municipalities border the PSE&G grid and a portion of Robbinsville is already powered by the company, while Manasquan and Belmar are miles away. Both Manasquan Mayor George Dempsey and his Belmar counterpart Matthew Doherty …
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Governor outlines coordinated response in storm's aftermath.
Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday urged those impacted by Hurricane Irene to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - and Neptune will serve as FEMA's hub site for New Jersey. Beginning Wednesday, the Joint Field Office in Neptune will serve as the field office for all federal and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management relief efforts throughout the state. "Representatives from the departments will be located here to ensure that we're all working together, officially and effectively, in a coordinated manner to get assistance to folks as quickly as possible," he said. Speaking at the Neptune office alongside FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Bill Vogel and other officials, the governor outlined the state and federal …
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Declaration will allow federal government to distribute disaster relief funds.
President Barack Obama declared New Jersey a major disaster area Wednesday afternoon, and the White House announced that the president will travel to north Jersey on Sunday to get a firsthand look at the flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. The declaration will allow the federal government to award FEMA assistance to local residents, and state and municipal governments, according to officials with the office of U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-08). The president will make an appearance in Paterson, according to Cong. Pascrell, who is a former mayor of Paterson, one of the city's hardest-hit by flooding. At present, no details are available as to when the president will arive or where he will go. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano …
Dominick Palermo
1:53 pm on Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Whitey -I have lifeguarded in Monmouth Cty for over 20 yrs -I have or i havent known any lifeguard to bother a surfer -unless he is surfing in a swimming area ------- Why would we care ????? more ›