Power outage hit Jackson hard during Feb. 14 storm
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

JACKSON - The township's emergency services operation swung into action on Valentine's Day after an ice and snow storm left some residents without power.

Officials said many residents were without heat and electricity for almost two days in the wake of the Feb. 14 storm that left trees, power lines and vehicles coated in ice.

Allison Erwin, a communications specialist for the Jackson School District, said Jackson Memorial High School is designa-ted as a shelter by the Office of Emergency Management. She said that during the evening between six and eight people took advantage of the shelter from 6 p.m. to midnight. A hot meal was served to individuals who came to the shelter, she said.

The residents stayed at the shelter until they could be picked up by family members or make some other arrangement.

Employees of Jersey Central Power and Light worked to restore power to the affected areas, said customer and community relations area manager Peter Johner. He said the hardest area hit in Jackson was in the area of Leesville Road.

"We've had poles and wires down and we've had wires snap," Johner said. "It's just a mess."

By noon on Feb. 15, Johner said there were still about 1,600 customers in Jackson without power. He said crews were on scene putting wires back on utility poles and removing the tree debris.

Emergency management coordinator Barry Olejarz said Jackson Memorial High School and the senior center were used as shelters on two separate days.

Olejarz listed the areas and streets that were severely affected by the ice and snow storm.

"You had Cedar Swamp Road, Freehold Road, Leesville Road, all of the side roads off of Leesville Road, and the Cassville section," he said. "There were power outages at Cherry Street, Oakland Drive, Bennetts Mills Road, Frank Applegate Road, Fish Road and East Fish Road."

There were also outages reported in the Four Seasons Knolls community and in the area of County Line Road.

"I don't have a true estimate because a lot of people didn't call," Olejarz said, but he estimated there could have been as many as 2,000 to 4,000 people affected at one point.

He said residents should be prepared for all kinds of emergencies and have a portable radio, flashlights with batteries, enough food and water for several days, warm clothing and needed medications in their home.

Police and emergency management personnel may be contacted via cell phone when an outage leaves some phones not working, he said.

"The police department notified radio stations about the shelter location," he said, adding that representatives of two fire companies went to the affected areas and used a public address system to inform residents that a shelter was open. Senior complexes were checked to see if anyone needed assistance, Olejarz said.