An Updated Message From Randolph Mayor Carey On Aug. 10, 2020

Press release from the Township of Randolph:

Aug. 10, 2020

An Updated Message from Mayor Carey—August 10

Dear Randolph Residents,

JCP&L is reporting that power has been restored to all but 7 Randolph residents; those still without power should be restored later today. This is great news!

On Tuesday, approximately 9400 or 88% of all households in Randolph lost power when Tropical Storm Isaias hit our area. About 75% of these households had power restored by Friday evening and 99% were restored by Sunday morning. For many, it was a frustrating and difficult time. While I am very happy to have power back on, there are many aspects of JCP&L’s response to the storm that must be reviewed and addressed.

During the immediate crisis, we were in regular communication with JCP&L. Those discussions were primarily focused on the emergency and getting power restored to residents as quickly as possible. However, now that the immediate crisis is over, JCP&L will be conducting a thorough review and analysis of their response to the storm.

I have talked to many residents who share my concerns regarding JCP&L’s preparation for and in response to Tropical Storm Isaias and agree that 6 days without power is unacceptable. In the next few weeks, I will be participating in meetings being scheduled by JCP&L for an “after-storm review” with mayors and township officials from towns most affected by the storm to discuss JCP&L’s response, areas for improvement and preemptive strategies. Among the topics for discussion are:

• Removal of trees close to power lines
• Placement of power lines underground
• Improved planning and preparedness for forecasted storms
• Getting out-of-area crews on site faster
• Better coordination of on-site recovery efforts, triaging, prioritization
• Rapid and accurate dissemination of information to customers
• Compensation for customers who lost refrigerated food and medicine and incurred other expenses

Our goal is to provide constructive feedback to JCP&L so they can be better prepared for the next storm.

Thank you for your patience over the past week.

Mayor Chris Carey

This press release was produced by the Township of Randolph. The views expressed here are the author’s own.