Administrator: Freehold Township Residents May Wait Days for Power

Some Freehold Township residents may be waiting two to five days for power to return, according to Township Administrator Peter Valesi, who has been in regular contact with JCP&L representatives after Hurricane Irene swept through the area Sunday. The utility company reports over 14,000 without electric in Freehold as of 3 p.m. Monday.

“However, we’re hearing development after development,” Valesi said, noting that power may return sooner than initially estimated. Homes in Stonehurst and Raintree, for example, got electric back Monday morning, he said.

Freehold Township Department of Public Works crews are spending Monday clearing debris from roads and doing damage assessment on the municipality’s infrastructure, according to Valesi.

While township roads did not appear to have sustained serious damage, the same could not be said for Jackson Mills Road, which is maintained by the county, he said. A section of the road collapsed near Strickland Road because of severe flooding and is not passable.

“I believe Jackson Mills Road will be closed for the foreseeable future,” Valesi said. The county will determine when the road will reopen, he noted.

Properties across Freehold Township had flooded basements, including Town Hall. The municipal building had flooded during last week’s severe rainfall, as well, so the township was prepared for it.

“We got water but not mud this time. The cleanup wasn’t too bad,” he said.

The township may pursue Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster funding after damages are fully assessed.

“This will be the third time we’re going through the FEMA process in two years. We went through it after the big winter storms and last year in March when we had a massive rain event that caused a tremendous amount of flooding,” Valesi said.

Residents beginning the process of clearing off their property will be able to drop off recycling brush or leaves at the Freehold Township Recycling Center Tuesday, Aug. 30 through Saturday, Sept. 3 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The municipality will also conduct a one-time brush collection on Tuesday, Sept. 6.