Remembering Superstorm Sandy In Morris County 10 Years Later

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — It's difficult to recall life before Superstorm Sandy, which caused power outages that nearly engulfed Northern New Jersey and high levels of flooding. These are just a few of the ways that Morris County was devastated by one of the worst storms in New Jersey history.

On Oct. 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy swept through Morris County, leaving many residents and businesses without power or shelter for days, and in some cases, weeks.

High winds caused trees to fall on power lines, as well as people's homes, causing a sense of devastation that has lingered in the minds of many residents to this day.

At the time, JCP&L crews reported that more than 5,000 homes were without power immediately following the storm, with a possibility of additional power outages which could last up to seven to 10 days, according to NJ.com.

Madison Borough, which has its own electric department, completely lost power the day the superstorm hit. "Once our feeder lines were restored by JCP&L, our crews worked with precision and dedication to restore our downtown followed by the neighborhoods. The coordination between the line crews and DPW with the cleanup was amazing. When Madison’s power was restored we shared our crews with JCP&L, helping restore power in our neighboring towns," Mayor Robert Conley said.

All municipalities throughout Morris County set up individual task forces to help provide resources and assistance to those in need. According to Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Jeffery Paul, emergency shelters were set up throughout the county.

"It housed over 400 county residents for the duration of both the storm and subsequent power outages with 15 municipal shelters, one county shelter and one state. We also had the Morris County Medical Reserve Corpse, who partnered with the American Red Cross to provide shelter services. Nurses and medical professionals came forward to help and that was supported by a very huge team from Atlantic Health," Paul said.

In the days that followed, all emergency response teams were swamped with urgent calls, and the shelters remained open, housing hundreds of displaced county residents for up to 25 days in some cases.

"The Morris County Department of Human Services teamed up with us and was assigned as full-time staff to the Emergency Operations Center, which really was a critical component to the overall operational plan because they had the client listing of all seniors and special needs community, which we needed to make sure we were checking on to see if they were okay," Paul said.

According to Paul, in the midst of the storm, the Office of Emergency Management had to coordinate the evacuation of Franciscan Oaks, a senior facility in Denville Township with over 200 residents.

Residents and local leaders came together to assist their communities in reuniting and rebuilding as soon as possible. Ray Codey, a local resident, was able to quickly secure extra lineman from Louisiana through the town of Vineland, as well as track down fuel to take care of all the vehicles working on the recovery in Madison Borough.

"We had an army of volunteers led by Fran Boardman handling the phone bank to respond to the calls from residents. The ambulance corps, in addition to making emergency calls, opened their door as a warming shelter, giving residents without power a warm bed and a hot meal," Mayor Conley said.

And, while the damage in Madison and other Morris County towns was extensive, many officials quickly discovered that it paled in comparison to the communities along the coast, particularly Union Beach.

According to Mayor Conley, Union Beach was, "a town that I barely knew existed until the picture of the half house appeared on front pages throughout the country. As I said then, we lost our power, the residents of Union Beach lost their homes."

Mayor Conley reached out to Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith to offer assistance, which he gratefully accepted. Members of Madison Borough helped Union Beach in a variety of creative ways over the next few weeks and months.

"They lost most of their police department fleet, so we donated retired police cars. The ambulance corps sent surplus supplies to replace what was lost in the storm surge. Generous residents and local banks secured truckloads of lumber delivered right to Union Beach. Rotary and others donated school supplies to stock their temporary school in a neighboring town," Conley said.

In the days following Superstorm Sandy a beacon of hope was Morristown Medical Center. The hospital was able to remain fully operational and never lost power, according to Karen Zatorski, Senior Manager at Atlantic Health System Morristown Medical Center.

"The loss of power in other healthcare facilities, closed roadways and loss of power throughout the region resulted in a surge of patients at all Atlantic Health System hospitals," Zatorski said.

Morristown Medical Center played a vital role in the initial triage after the storm had passed. According to Zatorski, they were not only able to maintain 24/7 food service but able to donate meals to emergency responders and elderly citizens throughout the community.

Because fuel was a critical issue affecting staff and patients, both Morristown Medical Center and Overlook Medical Center collaborated with local gas stations to ensure critical hospital staff and local emergency responders could obtain fuel.

"Morristown Medical Center treated 217 additional patients beyond their average between Sunday, Oct. 29 and Friday, Nov. 2, with a 20% increase in volume in the emergency room. And the medical center provided sleep accommodations to over 300 staff members and food operations were maintained on a 24-hour basis to keep those staff intact in the hospital, which was a big, big, help to us," Paul said.

Pulling through the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy was in many ways a collaborative effort that required not only the dedication of all emergency personnel but the kindness and resilience of everyday citizens.

Morris County has made significant progress in the ten years since. Homes have been rebuilt, and parks and roads have reopened. Emergency and resiliency measures were reviewed and improved, but the storm's memory and impact will live on forever.