DPW clears the way for power restoration
Parts of city may still be without power this weekend
Before power can be restored in city residents’ homes, the department of public works [DPW] must clear trees and wrap power lines throughout Asbury Park. Today, workers sawed trees, disposed of the wood and cleared the roads to pave the way for Jersey Central Power & Light [JCP&L] workers.
Although residents on Ridge Avenue and Memorial Drive reported their power was restored today, much of the city remains in the dark.
“The streets being cleared has just been a tremendous effort,” Mayor Ed Johnson said today. “The power people told us to get the trees out of the way and then they’ll deal with the power.”
The city has compiled a comprehensive list of the damage, Johnson said.
DPW supervisor Anthony Thompson had a team breaking up a tree on a lot on Monroe Avenue, close to Memorial Drive on the West Side, earlier today [pictured above].
“We made out, fortunately, good” compared to other municipalities, Thompson, who lives on Fifth Avenue, said.
He estimated that about 15 trees in the city had fallen during the storm, but “that’s not too bad granted that we got hit with a lot of wind and everything.”
The DPW started work on Saturday morning in preparation for the Monday storm.
“We kind of rode around and took notes,” Thompson said.
When DPW workers see a downed tree in someone’s front yard, they can only start the removal process after the resident has called their insurance company, Thompson said. If a tree fell in a resident’s backyard, the resident must call in a private contractor for removal.
DPW workers were also out during the storm assisting police officers, putting up barricades and blocking roads, he said.
The beach front is “totally damaged,” Thompson said, “so we’re going to have to call in a contractor to do that. Some of the store fronts are really damaged.”
The city and Madison Marquette will call in private contractors to deal with the beach front, he said. Mayor Ed Johnson said today that the beach area will likely be enclosed with a barrier within the next 24 hours.
DPW workers are also providing traffic control, trying to prevent accidents, said DPW employee Kawam Holland, an Asbury Park resident.
None of the downed power lines throughout the city should be live, Holland said, because JCP&L cut power to the city. If the power was still on, residents would be at risk for injuries, Holland said.
