Sunday, April 28, 2013
Insurance companies blame 2011's Tropical Storm Irene, Halloween nor'easter — not Sandy — for highest in nation auto rate increase.
New Jersey motorists, who currently pay among the highest rates for auto insurance now, are going to have to dig a bit deeper into their wallets to pay for increases in auto insurance, according to published report Sunday. Insurers and state regulators are saying Hurricane Sandy, which devastated portions of the state including the Jersey Shore, is not the reason for state approving rate increases for 26 insurers thus far in 2013, according to a NorthJersey.com report. Instead, officials blame the rate increases on losses related to Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween nor’easter from two years ago, medical costs that continue to rise, reinsurance expenses and dim forecasts of investment income, the report said. Allstate, New Jersey …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
JCP&L instituted new communications, repair plans after last year's major storms—will it be enough?
Two months after New Jersey residents recovered from flooding and damage caused by 2011's Hurricane Irene, the area was hit with a severe winter storm. The storm's snowfall piled more than a foot deep in many areas, and the heavy, wet precipitation snapped tree limbs and utility poles, causing massive power outages that in some cases took a week to repair. And on the anniversary of that storm, New Jersey is facing a potentially more dangerous storm: Hurricane Sandy, which has already claimed lives in the Carribean and is currently forecast to reach the area Monday morning—just in time to collide with a possible winter storm. Keeping a close eye on the storms are meteorologists with JCP&L, which says employees have already been put on alert…
As predictions about 'Frankenstorm' grew worse by Thursday, towns mobilized while residents began stocking up.
We were so close. While 2011 made a lot of noise in its second half with both Tropical Storm Irene and what was dubbed "Snowtober"—the late-October snowstorm that buried this area—2012 had been a relatively quiet year here as far as natural disasters were concerned. And, then came Sandy. While several days still separate us from this weather event, some already are predicting it to be a big deal, going so far as to dub it "Frankenstorm." Whether or not dire predictions play out, folks around here already are preparing for the worst. "All of a sudden, people started coming in today," said Bob Sage, an employee at Morristown Lumber on Ridgedale Avenue. "Sales have been pretty aggressive." The most popular items to jump off the shelves there…
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Recently-released state Board of Public Utilities report charges FirstEnergy affiliate with being more concerned with image during Irene.
JCP&L, since Hurricane Irene in August 2011, has said it has committed a lot of money and resources toward improving not only how the utility communicates with its customers, but also how it runs its business. The state Board of Public Utilities, however, handed down a verdict in a recent report that states the FirstEnergy affiliate first spent more energy trying to save face, according to a NJBIZ.com article. The article notes the BPU report cites JCP&L's initial two Irene press releases from Aug. 28 and Aug. 25, 2011, the latter three days before the storm actually hit New Jersey. JCP&L "gave no indication that restoration could take several days or longer. Advice to customers appeared to have secondary importance," according to the BPU …
Friday, September 14, 2012
Alexander Hamilton School hardest hit after 2011 storm.
If you were a fan of the orchestrea pit in the Alexander Hamilton Elementary School auditorium, we have some bad news. After Hurricane Irene caused the Mills Street school to become to worst damaged building in the Morris School District as a result of the storm, officials had some easy decisions to make. There was furniture, flooring, books, heating units to replace. All of that was obvious and would be covered by insurance, about $400,000 worth. But, then there was the auditorium, with its oft-maligned orchestra pit, a reminder of a bygone era when Alexander Hamilton—built in 1932—was a middle school and the pit actually got use. For the third-through-fifth grades now at the school, it was a potential accident waiting to happen. And, as …
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Alexander Hamilton Elementary School
24 Mills St, Morristown, NJ
/articles/fresh-auditorium-final-piece-in-school-s-post-irene-puzzle
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/locations/7839275
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Better communication, more employees just some of what the company has invested $200 million in, according to Don Lynch.
As the anniversary of Irene's unwelcome appearance over the region arrives—and as another storm looms large in the Gulf just seven years after Hurricane Katrina—not many signs of last year's hurricane are still apparent. At Alexander Hamilton Elementary School, final repairs are underway to the gym floor that was severely damaged by Irene. But the fence separating Cauldwell Playground from the Whippany River that was twisted so much it was unrecognizable has long since been replaced. One of the harshest visual icons of the storm, the sight of Martin Luther King Avenue turning into a river, receded soon after Irene passed. Another symbol of the storm, the shutdown of Jersey Central Power & Light's Ridgedale Avenue substation, took a little …
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Florham Park PBA presents honor
- POLICE & FIRE
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
JCP&L crew supervisor Jose M. Colon has been honored by Florham Park Policeman’s Benevolent Association Local 78 for his dedication and determination to help restore power during Hurricane Irene and the October 2011 snowstorm. “On both occasions, Jose went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that the Borough of Florham Park had its power restored as soon as possible, Florham Park Chief of Police Patrick Montuore said in a statement provided by the company. “Without his dedication to duty and determination under extremely adverse conditions, the local restoration operation would have not been the huge success it was.” Colon has worked at JCP&L for 23 years. He was recently named manager of Operations Services for JCP&L’s Boonton …
Monday, March 5, 2012
More payments are coming to New Jersey but officials need to work toward more permanent solutions.
It’s been six months since two torrential summer storms caused widespread flooding in North Jersey, and the costs keep rising. Last week, New Jersey's U.S. senators announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was giving grants of $21 million to elevate houses and to buy out homes hit especially hard by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee last year. Parsippany would see the lion’s share of that—$7.2 million, both for voluntary buyouts and to raise homes above the path of flood waters. Denville is getting $2 million. Pompton Lakes is receiving $2.2 million for buyouts. According to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, state and local governments are going to kick in an additional $7 million. This is just the latest, and likely not the last, in …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Utility company serves 13 counties in New Jersey.
Jersey Central Power & Light announced a plan to invest $200 million in 2012 on projects the utility company said are "designed to improve service reliability and help meet the increasing demand for electricity in northern and central New Jersey." Donald Lynch, president of JCP&L, said Tuesday morning the investment includes the completion of several new substations, including in Andover Township in Sussex County, and in Tewksbury in Hunterdon County, as well as a $2 million investment to upgrade more than 40 distribution circuits within JCP&L's New Jersey service area, which includes 236 municipalities. "The substantial investments we plan to make this year and in the future are part of JCP&L’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of …
Monday, January 30, 2012
Officials said emergency personnel met challenge of hurricane and snowstorm.
Stretched, tested, weary. But in the end, responsive and unified. That was the general assessment of township public safety and emergency management personnel earlier this month as they had time to review their response to the two large and different storms that hit New Jersey in August and October. Deputy Mayor Bruce Sisler said these storms provided him with the first opportunity to closely observe the township’s emergency response. What he saw, he said, “was the leadership of these individuals, professionals and volunteers in many dangerous situations and circumstances.” The response, the officials said, was the result of planning and training at the township level, where an emergency management committee is at the center of planning, …
Peggy Davison
1:17 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thanks for the link Chris! After reading the article, I too am confused as to why our rates are so high, and rising. It simply does not make any sense! more ›