Storm Stories: Hot Meals, Warm Hearts at Valerio Household

We stopped by Glenwood Avenue and spoke to Jennifer Valerio, who had been welcoming neighbors and friends for a meal, outlet and conversation in the wake of Irene.

Valerio said she thought the northwest side of town gets harder hit, given all the trees that come down. She also suggested the village do some pruning of the trees to limit damage, something she said was lost during budget cuts.

Fortunately, she concluded, there were no lives lost, no injuries. It's just damage, though there's a lot of it.

Valerio's friend, Amy Kammen, of Avondale Road, was one of the refugees at Valerio's house. She lost power on Sunday and didn't expect a return to normalcy until Friday when PSE&G stopped back around.

Dozens of residents told Patch they've been ignored by PSE&G around the Willard Section. That part contains the greatest number of power outages in Ridgewood, which far and away has the most homes without power in Bergen County, between 500 and 2,000.

A PSE&G spokesman said they're moving as quickly as possible, but things will take time.

Fortunately, Kammen has good friends.

"Everyone's been great," she said. "Everyone's been opening their doors to us and offering meals. It's been great, a lot of community help."