Storm responsiveness roundtable

Representative Sherrill (NJ-11) joined with Representative Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), State Senator Steven V. Oroho, county and local officials, and Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) on Tuesday in Ogdensburg to discuss storm responsiveness in Northwestern New Jersey.

Following the prolonged power outages and extensive damage in Sussex County from Winter Storm Ezekiel in December 2019, Representative Sherrill went to Ogdensburg and Sparta to meet with officials. She organized the roundtable discussion in order to foster discussion on how we can build on the communications and processes in place when storms hit our area.

“I appreciate everyone who took the time to participate in yesterday’s roundtable, but especially the Mayors, OEM Coordinators, Law Enforcement, and DPW Supervisors who provide such valuable input informed by their experiences on the ground working for their constituents during these storms,” said Representative Sherrill. “Previous forums like this one in Sussex County have resulted in new practices, like the establishment of JCP&L staging locations within the storm area, and there were some great suggestions made yesterday that we hope will lead to continued improvements in communication, responsiveness, and process.”

“I appreciate all the elected officials coming out to offer suggestions about how to help reduce the time any of our residents are without power,” said Senator Oroho. “Any day without electricity is a very anxious and frustrating time. Our area has experienced several disruptive storms over the recent past, and while the process and communication has improved as a result of meetings like today, we must do all we can to continue to improve reliability. I know a primary goal of our office is to focus the State’s attention on prevention measures, such as proper and professional vegetation management, to help prevent power outages from downed trees which we know is the greatest contributing factor in power loss.”