Governor visits Morris County Emergency Operations Center after storms

By newjerseyhills.com

Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited the Morris County Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, July 5. From left are: Sheriff James Gannon, Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, Office of Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Paul, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, R-Morris, Gov. Mikie Sherrill, 9-1-1 Center Lead Supervisor John McConnell, 9-1-1 Center Director Renee Bisson and Law & Public Safety Assistant Director Lauren Burd. In the back is Law & Public Safety Director Scott DiGirolamo.

The Morris County 9-1-1 Center and the Emergency Operations Center were visited on Sunday, July 5 by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who commended the county's response to the severe storms that struck the region over the holiday weekend.

Sherrill met with Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, Sheriff James Gannon, Law and Public Safety Director Scott DiGiralomo, Law and Public Safety Assistant Director Lauren Burd, 9-1-1 Center Director Renee Bisson, Office of Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Paul, Director County Administrator Deena Leary, Assistant County Administrator Brian Murray and first responders.

She also visited Jersey Central Power & Light's (JCP&L) staging operation in Morris County to thank utility crews working to restore power and discuss ongoing restoration efforts with company leadership.

Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, R-Morris, also participated in the visit.

"My administration is in constant communication with our utility partners to ensure they are working to restore service as quickly and safely as possible," said Gov. Sherrill. "I know many communities were hit hard, and we're committed to helping them recover."

Emergency crews across Morris County have responded to thousands of storm-related incidents since Friday evening, including downed trees and power lines, roadway blockages, structure damage, fires and medical emergencies.

On the night of the July 3 storm alone, the Morris County Communications Center handled more than 4,000 calls between 7:30 p.m. and midnight. By comparison, the center handled 120 calls during the same time period on the previous Friday, illustrating the extraordinary surge in emergency call volume, according to the county.

"From our 9-1-1 dispatchers and emergency management personnel to our police, fire, EMS, public works and utility crews, this has been an around-the-clock effort and we are grateful for their tireless efforts" said Director Shaw.

"This was a quick hitting catastrophic storm, and we have been working with our municipalities and JCP&L to prioritize restoration to bring critical infrastructure and large numbers back online as quickly as possible. We appreciate the patience of our residents as we work to finish the cleanup from this storm."

More than 20,000 JCP&L customers in Morris County remained without power today, and roadway cleanup continues in areas where utility work is still underway. The Morris County OEM continues coordinating with municipalities, first responders, utility partners and county agencies to support response and recovery efforts, including assistance for residents affected by power outages and extreme heat.

Residents are urged to continue to report power outages directly to JCP&L, as outage reports help prioritize restoration efforts. Due to the extent of the damage, power restoration is expected to take several days, with priority given to life safety, critical infrastructure and medically vulnerable residents.