Power Restored in Garwood, FEMA Center Open in Springfield

From the Mayor's Desk.

On what would have been a day off because of the annual teacher convention Garwood’s Lincoln School will be in session on it’s regular daily schedule again on Friday, 11/9. There are probably those students who would prefer to continue with this unscheduled vacation, though some did not have heat and others who missed their classmates and are happy to be back in a predictable routine.

At this point 11:30 PM just about every residence in the borough has had electrical service restored, exceptions could be those with lines down leading directly to their homes or one or two homes with downed lines on a particular block because of a damaged pole. Blocks that have had repeated outages after periods of service may continue to experience periodic blackouts as crews work in the borough repairing circuits that have been badly damaged. According to the utility, the workers sometimes have to power down an area that has service when restoring service to an adjoining circuit that has been receiving only half and not full power.

Residents are urged by PSE&G to self-report isolated outages to ensure that the utility is aware of the continuing problem (for instance if you are the only house on the street still in darkness) by calling 1-800-436-7734.

FEMA opened a Disaster Recovery Center in Springfield for Union County residents who suffered damage from the storm. The DRC will be open seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM at the Chisholm School Community Center, 100 S. Springfield Avenue, Springfield. There will be specialists from local, state and federal agencies who will be able to assist individuals and answer questions regarding disaster assistance.  Individuals should began the application process by calling the toll free registration numbers  1-800-621 FEMA, These toll­free numbers are available from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM until further notice. Or register on the agency’s website at www.fema.gov. The Disaster Legal Service Helpline is now operational, the number is 866-864-4464.

The disaster distress Hotline for those who are in need of counseling in coping with the crisis can call 1-800-985-5990 or text:  ‘TalkWithUs’  to 66746  on the web, visit  www.disasterdistress.samhsa.gov

Residents having problems with Verizon wireline service-related issues can call 1-800-Verizon please note that hold times may be longer than normal due to higher calling volumes.

SCAMS – Residents should be alert that phone calls to their homes regarding insurance claim issues that they did not initiate are probably scams and they should not release personal financial information, the names of banking institutions or Social Security numbers and report the calls to the proper authorities.

As life returns to normal in the borough residents should feel free to contact us at borough hall with any concerns which they may have storm related or not.

Garbage and recycling pick-ups are on the regular schedule.

Holiday tree lighting is to take place on December 1st .  

Mayors Saturday will be on the third Saturday of the month, November 17th from 10:00 to 12:00 noon, no appointment is necessary. Or to schedule an appointment call at 908-789­-1500 or email at pquattrocchi@garwood.org