SOUTH JERSEY

Legislators: Storm response 'unacceptable'

JIM WALSH and CARLY Q. ROMALINO
@cpsj
A fallen tree crashed into this house in Pitman.

Three Gloucester County legislators have called for emergency aid to cope with widespread thunderstorm damage.

The trio, including Senate President Steve Sweeney, also want a review of the utilities' "completely unacceptable" response to the storm, which has left more than 80,000 tri-county customers without power since Tuesday evening.

In a letter Friday, the legislators demanded the state Board of Public Utilities "act quickly and decisively to determine why electric power and service has not been restored."

The letter asserted the utilities and BPU had not prepared properly for the storm and its aftermath. They also called for a review of communications systems, including the loss of Verizon cell service.

The legislators on Thursday demanded the BPU "and each and every utility company do everything they can" to restore power to hard-hit communities.

PSE&G has said it expect to restore all area customers today, but blackouts could continue until Sunday night for some customers of Atlantic City Electric.

"It's really creating a difficult problem," said Lorraine Rossiter, 71, of Clementon. She said many of her neighbors at the darkened Wooster Towers senior complex were too frail to reach cooling centers and recharging stations set up for storm victims.

"They're not delivering ice here and it's very difficult for the seniors to get out," said Rossiter, whose power was restored later Thursday.

Sweeney, with Assembly members John J. Burzichelli and Adam Taliaferro, urged Gov. Chris Christie to seek federal emergency aid to help offset the cost of cleanup and recovery from the storms.

"We are asking the governor to take all action necessary in seeking federal aid to assist with the cost of cleanup and offset the financial burden on our residents," Sweeney said.

In Camden County, freeholders directed the Office of Emergency Management to prepare data for a possible disaster proclamation. The proclamation, if issued by the state, would authorize the use of state recovery funds in areas devastated by the storms.

A spokesman for Christie's office said BPU President Richard Mroz toured affected areas Thursday, "assessing the outages and restoration."

Christie said Friday he will only seek a disaster declaration if it's needed to help the state get more disaster relief.He said the state emergency management office estimates the storms caused $31 million worth of damage.

Atlantic City Electric said its outages are focused mostly in Gloucester and Camden counties, where more than half of its customers lost power after the storm.

The utility said it has brought in repair crews from as far away as Ohio, as well as a 150-worker contingent from Jersey Central Power & Light.

"We really appreciate our customers' patience," said Lendel Jones, a utility representative. "We know it is a trying time."

She said the thunderstorms, which pounded South Jersey for about 30 minutes, caused 280,000 outages — compared to 220,000 from Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 and 206,000 from a violent wind storm in June 2012.

She said Tuesday's storms had caused more damage to the utility's infrastructure, knocking down 20 transmission lines and closing eight substations.

A driver turns her car at a closed road Wednesday after a violent storm downed poles and power lines Tuesday night in Gibbstown. Gloucester, Camden, Burlington and Salem counties saw the most damage from the ferocious storms that barreled through the region Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

By Thursday afternoon, the utility had restored seven transmission lines and all but one substation — a Wenonah facility badly damaged by a fallen tree. "When a transmission line is restored, that helps us to bring back large numbers of people," Jones said.

In Mantua, a badly damaged firehouse off Center Street was relying on a backup generator Thursday.

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The storm peeled the building's roof and dropped it into a neighbor's yard, lying like a massive sheet over a wooden fence and shed. Roof debris, including the cap to a large fan, covered the yard of the same residence.

Chief Brian Hauss said rain water poured through the damaged roof of the firehouse during the storms.

"It was like all hell broke loose," he said.

The fire department totaled 70 fire calls Tuesday night, running emergency operations until 3 a.m., he said.

"We didn't even get to assess our own damage," Hauss said.

The storm's impact continues to be felt, with NJ Transit saying it would continue to suspend service Friday on its Philadelphia-Atlantic City line.

And officials said hazards from fallen trees have closed two parks, Berlin Park in Camden County and Atkinson Memorial Park in Washington Township.

Delsea Regional High School in Franklin will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday for residents without power. The school will provide ice, water and the use of locker room showers.

Two recharging stations will operate Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Gloucester County's Government Services Building in Clayton and the Mount Royal Fire Station in East Greenwich.

Staff writer Carly Q. Romalino contributed to this report.

Jim Walsh; (856) 486-2646; jwalsh@courierpostonline.com