Summit’s Superstorm Sandy Memories: 10 Years Later (PHOTOS)

SUMMIT, NJ — For the City of Summit, Superstorm Sandy was a wake up call.

It was ten years ago this week when the superstorm ripped through Summit, causing trees to crash into homes and fall on power lines, leaving hundreds of residents without power for weeks.

Many remember the cancellation of Halloween and waiting in long lines to get gas.

Since 2012, Summit has made several improvements to its communications system and its infrastructure to better prepare for storms of this magnitude.

Mayor Nora Radest and Director of Community Services Aaron Schrager spoke with Patch about how the City has evolved since the devastation of Sandy.

The Impact

Schrager said Sandy was primarily a wind event for Summit, and the major tidal surge that impacted several coastal towns in New Jersey fortunately did not reach Summit.

During the storm, Schrager said he was sitting in the emergency command center of the Summit firehouse. He said the windows of the building were bending in because of the wind, and he feared that they would implode. The Fire Department had to board up the windows out of precaution.

"It just kind of highlighted the need to to get a more modern, better equipped emergency command center," Schrager said.

Although she was not mayor at the time, Radest recalled that her daughter was a senior in high school, and along with dozens of other students, was frantically working on early decision college applications while huddled on the floor of the Summit Free Public Library.

The library, as well as Summit Middle School, were two of the only places in the city that still had power because they had generators installed.

"I went in [the library] one time and there must have been 100 kids sitting all over the floor trying to get their applications done because it was October," Radest said.

As a direct response to Sandy, Schrager said the City ensured that a generator was installed at the Public Works facility, the Community Center, as well as the city's two remaining pump stations.

Schrager said the use of generators has become much more popular since the aftermath of Sandy. Radest said she actually had a generator during Sandy after a snow storm hit Summit the year before, which also resulted in many residents losing power, as well as the cancellation of Halloween.

How The City Reacted

Radest said a major outcome of Sandy was the city's investment in a dedicated communications office.

Public Information Officer Amy Carins told Patch that her job was a direct result of the superstorm.

"During Superstorm Sandy, power was out for an extended time and it was very difficult to relay information to citizens," Cairns said. "This was not unique to Summit. The elected officials at the time perceived the need for a designated office with staff to plan and prepare for emergencies and issue general communications to the community on a daily basis."

As part of her emergency planning, Cairns said she now works to increase the number of residents and business owners who subscribe to emergency notifications on applications like Swift Reach and Nixle, as well as growing Summit's social media following.

Radest said currently 13,000 residents are signed up for Swift Reach and about 7,000 signed up for Nixle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Radest said the city saw a major increase in subscribers.

There is also now a dedicated building for the Office of Emergency Management, Radest said.

"We understand the need to be in touch quickly and regularly with our residents," Radest said. "It wasn't as effective with Sandy and that was a source of frustration, but it is definitely better now."

Cairns added that all of Summit's communications staff have since received FEMA certifications as Public Information Officers and in Incidence Command.

Schrager also explained that the DPW now conducts a "pre-storm checklist" before major storms. He said this includes things like making sure there's food for DPW workers ensuring there is enough gasoline for city vehicles.

"After Sandy, the big issue was that all the stations without electricity couldn't pump gas," Schrager said.

Residents may remember residents lined up outside of gas stations, waiting to get their cars and generators fueled up.

Schrager added that the police and fire departments also improved their communication systems.

"The DPW had old old radios, so they were not even on the same frequency as police and fire," Schrager said. "So now that's been completely switched over. They're all on the same frequency now, though different channels."

The city is now part of a group called "The Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties," which Radest said is also a direct result of Sandy.

Union and Essex Counties share a sewage treatment plant, which is located in Elizabeth, and Radest said during Sandy, the sewage became inches away from spilling over the wall built around the plant. The Joint Meeting is a collaboration with neighboring towns to build a new wall around the sewage plant, and Radest said all the towns involved are committing millions of dollars, which will eventually be refunded by FEMA.

You can learn more about the Joint Meeting here.

Radest added that the Summit the community came together during Sandy.

"We had power here in my house, so we had lots of neighbors coming in to warm up or to charge their phones," Radest said. "We had one neighbor who was actually undergoing chemo and she just stayed here. This town is really really good about helping each other."

You can check out photos from the aftermath of Sandy in Summit above.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.