It's possible. It took pse&g 5 hours to replace 3 poles on my street and rewire. Youll know youre getting close when someone comes to mark the street for gas and sewer so pse&g don't accidentally hit those lines. Also, electric is only the top 4 wires. We're still waiting for cable to do their rewiring.

I agree. There has not even been a soul into our development to assess our situation in the Gardens of Lake Hopatcong, yet our mayor made the outrageous remark that the Gardens was up and online. Bogus. Her street is the only one with power!! Some folks don't have water either due to the pole breaking the main.

Huh? The article says JCP&L has 75% of customers out (meaning without power), which is the lowest of all the providers. In other words, 25% restored, which is the highest percentage of all the providers. Read it again. It says:

"Christie gave numbers on customer outages for each power company. He said as of Thursday morning, the percentage of customers out were: PSE&G, 95 percent; JCP&L, 75 percent; Atlantic City Electric, 95 percent (down from 100 due to Athena); Orange & Rockland, 92 percent."

There is a problem with the JCP&L numbers. If you take a look at the list that was posted on the Montville Home page (which listed the streets still without power) many of the streets in Towaco are missing. Missing a line or two might be just sloppy or the output of someone who isn't very proficient creating Excel spreadsheets. On the other hand, if they are using that as the basis for reporting the percent restored then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you under report the base number of ourtages the percent restored looks more favorable than it really is.

The second point that that I would like to ask is why did the town post a list on the website that is so inaccurate? They may be at the mercy oif JCP&L right now but they should have control over what get's posted and I would think that they have a pretty good sense of what parts of Towaco are without power.

Nothing, just like what has happened, 7-10 days we were told to prepare for. The website said on Monday we will be restored by Wednesday, 11/7, yesterday it said Sunday at 11:59. Today it says Satuday/Sunday. They can't seem to get it right.

Sounds like a good opportunity to create an app for that and make some money

because it's incredibly more complicated than that. it's not like they have a map at their HQ with a little light for every customer that shines when they have services and goes dark when they don't. That's called a smart grid, that no one is willing to invest in.

Madison, NJ had power up quicker than pretty much anyone. Guess who owns the electric utility there?

LOL.

Probably wouldn't have been a storm at all if he'd crawled into bed with Mittens!

Do you live on UrAnus? You line of reasoning is moronic.

You root for the Soviet Union since your party wanted to suppress the vote.

I'd say the Republican executives are more to blame then the guys on the street. You think Don Lynch has been working 16+ hour days for almost two weeks?

Because the non-union crews in Louisiana did such a bang up job after Katrina?

Yeah, those guys working 16 hour days are the problem. you're a bafoon.

I didn't know those trees that knocked out the power belonged to a union.

literally - a guy my dad works with in Pennsylvania lost both arms because he was electrocuted replacing downed lines.

Do you work for free, Big Man? Do you think that billionaires who aren't "working hard" but make their money from dividend checks and trading investment vehicles don't deserve their money? Most people who think the way you do think that the billionaires deserve everything they get, and yet these linemen who risk their lives every time they deal with these wires should somehow work for free. Why is that?

Clearly you don't understand the concept of a natural monopoly.

God you're an idiot.

And don't forget to complain to your town or city for not taking down all those massive trees that knock out power every time the wind blows. Those trees are why most people don't have power. It is complete stupidity to plant trees like oaks near power lines, let them get to 70 feet tall and then complain when a big storm literally knocks down thousands of them all over the region and knock power to a few million people in the region.

Ojo....I like my trees and FYI most of these 70 ft oaks were here way before the power lines...massive storm knocked down massive trees...why should the town (ie: government) tell me which trees I should remove on my property....I don't want the government involved in more of my decisions in life....

And, I too, was without power 6 days this time, 7 days after Irene, 5 days after the Oct storm last year and 6 days the March before....

Now, I'll defend the utility companies slightly. A for profit utility is not going to keep thousands of poles and transformers on hand unless they know they will be needed. Thus, you can call it poor planning, or you could call it a wise move influenced by each company's CFO. If every utility purchased all the equipment we ended up needing, and had all the contracted employees up here on saturday or sunday waiting (some were here, but not enough), and the storm ended up being not too bad - their stock prices would have been hammered when the next quarterly earnings came out.

It's a calculated risk they take. And guess what? Unless we all go out and buy our own solar panels and/or a windmill, they aren't losing us as customers, deregulation or not.

So, some may call their hurricane planning incompetent (i would be one of those), but looking at it from a business perspective, they did exactly what i would expect of a for-profit utility. They planned slightly, and hoped it wouldn't be worse than what they planned for. And if it was, they'd get those resources when they could.

to the folks commenting on the trees - we actually have pretty good power lines for handling trees. the problem in this storm was more the number of poles that came down than the number of trees, though, trees were a problem.

This is the only time these guys have to actually work- and I am supposed to think they have it hard? It's the path they chose. Just like how I wake up everyday at 5 to get to the city at 7 only to work 12 days. Life I chose.

Echo - these guys work at least 8 hours 5 days a week. it's not the only time they do work. you're quite an ignorant person if you seriously believe that. The Stig didn't say the workers are complaining. And I assure you, they're not. They love it when there is a storm and they get to do more work.

Though it's been frustrating, I've actually seen quite a few PSEG trucks out. It was just a long time before they were in my area. The fact of the matter is, the work that is done that would lead us all to see trucks out is the work that they do last. This complaint was voiced over and over again. I doubt a single human being saw my father during his 9 straight 16 hour days. But plenty people got power back in his company's territory because of the work he was doing.

I suspect that Sunday is entirely possible, because by now, they should have a handle on where all the downed lines are as long as they have been reported.

My main complaint with PSE&G is that their website wouldn't let me report the outage. I had to call to report the outage. I know it sounds silly to people since so many lost power, but your utility has more useful information if you're able to report your specific account as being an outage.

PSE&G's systems are antiquated, i found out through a billing problem. Not surprised it carries over to this.

Where in Morris township?

@Debbie - Keeping track of the gas expense is an interesting idea. I wish we had done that. I'm curious - how much did you spend on gas compared to how much you would have spent on electricity for the same period?

Could someone please tell me what "hold JCP&L accountable" actually means? They ARE accountable. In fact, nobody else is accountable. Nobody but them can repair those lines. So what does this phrase mean? And by the way, they are losing revenue from all of the electricity they are not selling during the outage, so they are getting hit hard on both ends at the same time: zero revenue and a huge cost for repairs at the same time. This has to hurt pretty bad, I would say.
Don't get me wrong, I am not defending their performance, which has been abysmal and unacceptable. Just saying that I don't see how anybody else but JCP&L COULD be held accountable for the restoration of power to JCP&L's customers.

As a final comment, the laws of physics prevail in all cases. Physics brought the trees and lines down, and it will take physics to put them back up. Overseeing the repairs to make them happen quickly takes good operations management skills. That's where they appear (to me) to come up short.

I agree with you Jon. I mean, I give a certain degree of leeway because no publicly traded company or privately run company is going to make financially imprudent decisions to "overprepare" for a storm (overprepare, in their CFO's eyes). My dad's company in PA fully expected a 10 day restoration schedule, I think they got their last customers back towards the end of day 9, because their engineers evaluated it and knew that their lines were only rated to handle 35-45mph winds - so, they knew lines would be down all over the place. In a tiny lake community my dad worked in, they had 15 poles down, and the roads were too narrow for the trucks to access them. So, guess how the guys had to go about restoring 15 poles, which would normally take about 5 hours per pole? Manually, by hand, with the old fashioned way of climbing the poles.

But, that being said, I think they should have better data at their fingertips to be able to properly assess what equipment in the field is offline or damaged, and better methods for customers to report specific information, to improve their data even more. They know how long it takes to fix a pole, repair a downed line, or replace a transformer. So to me, that means, they simply have no decent way to know how much of each problem exists in their territory.

It should be relatively easy for them to track. But, of course, such a system would cost upfront investment.

"Pressure your townships to privatize their energy utilities."

WTF????

Are you aware that the utilities ARE privatized? That they are for-profit publicly-held companies that trade stock? PSE&G is listed on the NYSE. The mission of a for-profit utility company is NOT to provide you with electricity, it is to MAKE MONEY. There are two ways to increase their bottom line -- increase revenue or cut costs. If it helps the stock price to defer maintenance, to not incur the expense to install underground wiring, to not bring enough crews to repair the infrastructure, then they are fulfilling their mission to their shareholders.

It's the same as this silly notion that companies exist to create jobs. The only reason companies create jobs is if the people they hire can make them more money. If they can make more money by working existing people harder or offshoring work to developing nation sweatshops, then they are fulfilling their mission. They do not care about you. That's reality.

actually, deregulation has removed any incentive for the big utilities to maintain their equipment or spend any money on newer technology, because other companies get to benefit from that investment.

Madison is an example of a town that has done it effectively because Madison owns the utility.

It is not about getting the power restored as it is about the information on how long it would take. In Hopatcong we have been fed grossly inaccurate restoration numbers and timelines. We are trying to take the best actions for our families. After assessments, worst case scenarios could have communicated and decisions could have been made from there. I am thanking the linemen everyday. They are even baffled at the lack of communication with so many people still out. The power will come back when they fix it, I get that but you could have told me it's gonna be awhile. I could have made much better decisions for my family.

@Mick2b - the problem is, they really don't know. But they can't say they don't know, because people will flip. So they started by giving a very general ETR. Then, they attemped to give more specific ones. They should have stuck to the general ETR and not even bothered with the specific ones - because when garbage data comes in, only garbage data can go out. They simply didn't know.

You mean the guys that actually do work for a living and pay taxes, rather than sit back and take barely taxed unearned income and don't work more than six hours a day? You better re-evaluate who is the loser here.

Exactly...Corey Booker has power back in Newark, Bloomberg had all but 95 households powered up in NY City as of this morning. Hoboken which had 2 feet of flooding and most residents had their cars totaled had their power restored last Saturday. We and everyone else can see where our individual mayors are in the pecking order.

JCP&L is already privatized. It is not a government entity, it is a for-profit, publicly-held company; a division of FirstEnergyCorp, with stock traded on the NYSE. Now if those of you calling for the privatization of the utilities are talking about "returning them to the private sector", they are ALREADY in the private sector. If you are calling for the utilities to be run by the municipalities or the states, then you are calling for making them government-run. Just want to be clear that this is what you are asking for....especially those of you who think the private sector does everything better.

Cables on my street and surrounding streets are underground. We are without power and have been since the storm hit. Being underground does not seem to help. IN fact, once out, I wonder if it's not worse. Since they are underground and not hazardous there is less incentive to work on them.

So what you're saying is that these guys don't take their marching orders from anyone but themselves? That JCP&L, which is out to make a profit, would willingly let these guys dictate when and where they will go? Interesting. So, is this blustering by you or could you point to some semi-reliable source to back up your claim?

double time on Sundays! whooooohoooo.

hate to break it to you, but it's management at these companies that has proved inept during this disaster, not the union crews.

i can't compare, but PSE&G started by giving a work plan (which Gov Christie ordered) that was release at 7pm last saturday that said my town would be fully restored by 11:59pm that saturday night. Well, I knew, just what i could see with my own eyes, that it would never happen unless they had dozens of crews in the town all day that day. Sure enough, the next day, they released an updated work plan, with 2,000 less customers than the previous day on it for west orange, and now had restoration scheduled for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. So, the Saturday work plan was garbage. Probably a best guess released to appease Christie's demand. Sunday's work plan was so-so, as they mostly got it done to that plan, but when I was on the phone with PSE&G on Sunday to ask about the discrepencies in the plans, their agents on the phone weren't even aware of the plan released on Sunday and were basically telling me I should have power.

So, while anecdotally, it sounds like JCP&L has been worse, don't think for a minute that it means PSE&G was "good". I'd give them a B+ for trying, and a C- for actions/information.

Maria, Climate Change? Read this carefully. Those are called seasons. The climate changes several times a year during different seasons. This planet is thousand of years old and the climate used to change far more drastically before YOU and your God OWL GORE showed up with your magic trick thinking.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A VOLCANO? You do realize that volcanoes have far more effect on our atmosphere than fossil fuels. Don't You? GO SOLYNDRA!

IDIOTS! Dime A Frickin Dozen!

Rex, a little civility goes a long way.

Nancy Duggan, a little education and less imagination goes a long way too.

GLOBAL WARMING?

REALLY?

Yes...climate change....REALLY! Maybe you missed the meteorologists stating that they have never seen these patterns IN THE HISTORY OF RECORD KEEPING. Many scientists feel it is due to melting ice and the raising Arctic Ocean...

And, even if the cause is not climate change, why do we not want to fix the problem? Update our infrastructure? Most European cities have somehow managed to put their power lines underground, many places are utilizing green energy...why must we continue to bandage aging infrastructure? In the end, I feel it is more costly to continue in this matter...

And name calling is not what I would call a discussion...we obviously disagree but this "idiot" is able to be civil about it.

WOW... when it comes to following the liberal partyline; Maria drank the entire jug of Kool-aid.

wally...please read the abstract below. I believe scientists come from all areas of the political spectrum. This is not about politics, but facts. I hope you can understand it.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/001282529290021K

Maria - can you tell me how long the "HISTORY OF RECORD KEEPING" actually is? at best a couple of hundred years, the rest is just guessing. The abstract from your link states 'insufficient data', 'we lack understanding', 'hampers our ability to make accurate predictions'; as I read these items I say to myself there's nothing concrete to any of this. The "facts" really aren't facts.

@Wally and Rex: The willfully ignorant are a dime a dozen as well. Ignore the evidence at all those on both sides of the political fence agree is happening (if not about the root cause) if you want to. But lashing out at the rational is spitting into the wind.

There are many articles to suggest the melting of the Artic is influencing more severe storms. You are right, they have only being studying storms for a hundred years or so...

So, because this can not be proven, we are therefore going to dismiss the idea of updating our infrastructure? My main point was that we need to look forward, to look at long term solutions. I don't understand why a disabelief in climate change equates to not thinking green energy is a good idea...putting lines underground is not a good idea...creating jobs in this country to better our infrastructure so that the next storm doesn't leave millions without power...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/statistics-show-just-how-intense-hurricane-sandy-was-15196

Relax BelareBirden. This whole storm is a "bump in the road". People dying like in Benghazi is "Not Optimal". Obama uses these these phrases when people die.

Life goes on for Obama. You'll have to catch him on the back nine if you want to see him again. He's done with his Hope and Change in NJ.

Relax BelareBirden. This whole storm is a "bump in the road". People dying like in Benghazi is "Not Optimal". Obama uses these phrases when people die.

Life goes on for Obama. You'll have to catch him on the back nine if you want to see him again. He's done with his Hope and Change in NJ.

What do you define as "welfare"? Are you aware that what you think of as "welfare" (i.e. payments to people YOU define as undeserving) is only 2% of the Federal budget? So...what is welfare? Social Security? Medicare? Medicaid? Are you aware that a good chunk of Medicaid is payments to nursing homes for the indigent elderly? So...what would you like to do with these elderly people? Shoot them? Turn them out in the cold? Why don't you turn off Fox News for a few minutes and do some actual research into consensus reality?

When Obama wants to spend money on the infrastructure you speak of, he gets smashed for wanting to spend more. If you go by facts, there has no been one budget increase in welfare programs since he took office.

@Rex: And now you cand find your boy Willard permenently on the back nine. How about that!

J S Beckerman, no faux news necessary. Just a tad bit of common sense will get you through.

Owl Gore has made damn near $1,000,000,000 off of this Global Warming - Climate Change - or what ever you people will call it next.

WAKE UP!

Yes, shouting "really" and calling folks idiots isn't the way to effectively make a point.

i apologize. i want to save the earth too but saving our republic must come first.

Once again, i am sorry.

Now thats funny!

I was told that 150,000 units got heated up in just 1 day there in NJ by non union workers that received a call 'finally' on Thursday and worked all day on Friday. Now it's left up to the utility companies in the areas to service them. Funny they were sent away when the storm began and they went to Connecticut and there power is restored almost fully. They got a call to help out New York. I think doing the same job just different guide lines (!?@!@?!) did not help to pull together as Americans. What' up with that picture? The heart of America was here before the unions and still is thanks to non union regular everyday people. I hope everyone gets serviced soon!

Yes! Finally SOMEONE in the area who agrees with me!

and then when the power line conduit gets flooded and the lines corrode, everything needs to get dug up. Imagine how efficient that process is, it has taken weeks, when the utilities can see everything? Cut down the trees, it is quicker and more efficient.

We saw Obama, didn't we? A 30 min flight in Air Force One to AC, a photo-op in various places down the Shore, a couple of sound bites for the press and back to the campaign again. Quite how 15% of the "on the day deciders" stated they voted Obama for his response to Sandy is beyond me. It's all Status Quo Ante again now, and Sandy was something that happened last month, or last election.

C'mon Obama ... I dare you to prove me wrong.

Thank YOU justsayin!!! Was feeling quite alone there.
I just think we should look at the long-term picture. Create some jobs, update our infrastructure, consider using green energy! Why do people have to bring politics into it? It is the best solution for all of us!!!

I wish there was a way to harness all the ignorance in this comment section and power up my house.

Great line, Rich (I will be using it). If any of the tree huggers would like to come to my house there are still plenty of them laying on my lawn in front of my cold, dark house.

Thanks again to the bang-up job performed by PSEG...keep those bulletins coming...we of the remaining 3% need them. And to our local politicos...kudos...the bar has now been set below ground.

Thanks, trythetruth, though I have a feeling you would think I am one of those tree huggers. Still, feel free to use it all you want.

They call non-union people like you scabs or rats, you are taking work away from the laborers. Were you properly trained and supervised to remove that refuse? By the way, if you were non-union, what were you doing on a Union job? Something is not adding up with your tale.

Tony...I agree with your post but it could have been a non-union job. Union workers can work on non-union jobs. Also I believe non-union workers can work on Union jobs as long as the non-union employees are paid at prevailing wage.

tony on construction sites some trades can be union and some can be non union. if a scab or a rat is someone who deoes the same job as best and as quickly as possible i guess i am a scab/rat. how am i taking away work from laborers when i am a laborer?
unions provide workers with no incentive. the longer a job takes the more overtime they will recieve. if they are caught slacking and are fired they collect unemployment until they are placed in a new job.
o and the "refuse" i was throwing out was the garbage left by union workers after thier 2 hour lunch break. instead of throwing out thier lunch garbage they have a union worker who is paid to do that. considering i have a masters degree in engineering and have been in the construction field for 20 years i think i am properly trained to throw out garbage.

I stand corrected

Killing....Union men only take 45 minute lunches....I was on board with you until you started lying. Also, if Union men do not perform quickly it cuts into the owners bottom line and I can tell you that they would be fired. The owners of the company still need to make a profit and if work is not being done on budget hell will be raised. Yes, they can collect unemployment, but so can others who get fired if not performing well for their companies. And believe me, if these men get a bad enough rep in the Union they will be not placed on jobs as you may think....so please get your facts straight. The laborers tony was speaking of are the Union paid laborers who are hired by the company to do specific jobs.

michelle ill admit the 2 hour lunch was a bad generalization i made. there are many union workers who i work with that are very skilled and hard workers. i guess the point im saying is with todays work laws these hard working skilled professionals do not need a union anymore. i do the same exact job as some union workers, if i am mistreated, harassed or taking advantage of i can talk to a lawyer. when the union started off it was very neccassery to protect the labor workers, however at some point it got out of hand and now employers need protection from the union because they are the ones taking advantage now.

Just back from my 2 hour lunch and a quick nap, what did I miss? Oh yeah, Killing backtracking on some of his BS. If we did not have unions, you would have a huge part of the middle class, not earning a fair wage and paying their "fair share" of taxes to fund Obama's follies. I'll concede that Union regulations may seem a bit unfair to those on the outside, but do you really believe that those workers would make a living wage if left up to the kindness of construction company owners, developers, etc?

unions killing nj, people are just angry with you because you are calling it like it is. I presume most who are attacking you are union workers that have cushy jobs, pensions, get paid overtime and take long lunches. They have no sense of what reality is. Just like the teachers whining about having to pay for their benefits. News flash - EVERYONE ELSE PAYS FOR THEIR BENEFITS TOO. There is no incentive for them to work harder when they'll never be fired from their jobs. Of course this doesn't apply to ALL union workers. But it sure is a nice set up for someone that doesn't want to work too hard. E.g., JCP&L workers.

"Do you really believe that those workers would make a living wage if left up to the kindness of construction company owners, developers, etc?" This sort of pro-union argument would make a great deal of sense - if we were all living in the post-Industrial Revolution U.S. at the end of the 19th century, when unions were actually valuable in addressing real concerns about workplace safety and pay inequality. But since we're not... it's just an antiquated chestnut that gets trotted out anytime someone questions the continued existence of unions. The fact is that unionization is at an all-time low in this country's history (only 11.3% of employed workers) because it simply isn't necessary to protect workers in an age of OSHA, anti-trust regulations and wage competition like it once was. If currently unionized workers were suddenly forced to abandon their unions, what would happen - would they have to take pay cuts to earning 10% to 30% below their current salaries? Because that's the average premium that unionized workers earn over non-union employees doing the exact same jobs. It's at the high end of that scale in the private sector, and that's not including the significantly better fringe benefits going to union workers. So by all means, please tell us what would happen if the 11.3% of US employees weren't unionized - would current union employees have to earn the same as non-union employees? Sounds tragic.

"do you really believe that those workers would make a living wage if left up to the kindness of construction company owners, developers, etc?"
yes i absolutely do. i do the same exact work as union workers, my boss is a construction company owner and he pays me very well and treats me with nothing but respect.
heres an example of how screwed up unions are; my boss built this company from scratch, it is his livlihood. we get jobs by producing high quality work, if our work is not up to expectations we will lose future work. if a union worker quits or gets laid off we do not have a choice of the next person hired. the union can send us any joe schmoe they want and we have to take him. so this is my boss's company and he has no say on union workers being hired. if thats not BS i dont know what is.

another good example for you. im putting some decorative molding by the entrances of apartments, there are over a hundred of them. a light sconce will be applied over the molding by a union electrician. i notice on a couple he put the lights up before the molding was up, so i talk to him and explain he must take them down because the molding must be on first. he takes them down and assures me he wont put anymore up unless the molding is up first. i get back from a meeting a couple hours later and i see light sconces hung all over without any molding. the super calls a meeting and the electrician plays stupid and lies that we did not discuss that the molding had to go on first. a few week later when its my last day on that job he buys me a coffe and say "sorry for being a d*ck the other day, but i got paid three times more because of that." so basically this guy put the lights up, took them all down, then put them back up again to make am assive amount of OT

Killing, last time I checked you don't need a Masters Degree in Engineering to put up molding, maybe that is why you are well paid and taken care of by your benevolent construction company owner. As for the rest of the bulls..t about 11% of the workforce being paid well and all that other happy nonsense, when it comes down to it, if you are doing the same job and getting paid less, stop whining and join the union. Finally, if I was the boss and you knew that that electrician was pulling that crap and you did not tell me, I would fire you, because you were putting up the molding too slowly, he should have hired a union man. And I am not a union worker, but just someone is sick of all you cry babies, bitching about how much better the world would be without unions. We live in the NY metropolitan area, they are never going away. Besides Obama would never have gotten into office without the support of Unions…NEVER.

"When it comes down to it, if you are doing the same job and getting paid less, stop whining and join the union." So you have literally nothing of value to say in response. You could have just said that, it would've saved you the trouble of writing a longer post.

Gen, unlike your bs disertation, it is the bottom line. Cry about it or take advantage of it.

Chefron: What you are talking about is a government-run utility. The government involved may be local, but it is government. What you are talking about is taking the utilities out of the for-profit (private) sector and making them public sector entities. I happen to agree with you about this; I think the electrical grid/infrastructure is a public good that OUGHT to be government-run.

I have to agree that Governor Christie does seem to get all mushy around certain stars. It just makes you wonder what's up with that?

Way to go, Survivorman.

I didn't buy a generator, like my father in-law said to do and now we're 10 days into staying with him. Your right

You are awesome.

Here is an easy survival tip -- Never let your car go under 1/2 a tank, and preferably never less 3/4 of a tank of gas. I felt really bad for the people I saw pushing their cars in the gas station lines!

One more hint -- Always, yes always have a couple 100 dollars cash about. No ATMs, no banks, and a lot of stores and gas stations were CASH only, because nothing else worked! Same goes for prescription drugs, always have a months worth on hand.

Did you let them borrow the generator? When you said no, how did you say it? Are they mad at you? You should have a little more faith in people's ability to learn from their mistakes. But apart from that, you are funny, in a curmudgeonly way. But then, I had food supplies, a generator, backup gas in red plastic jugs, plus a full tank, batteries, candles, wood for the fireplace, water, and booze. So I agree with you.

>And here is the sad part. Next emergency they'll all be standing around again looking stupid again and saying;

This the third big outage in three years in the Sourlands. Just about all my neighbors have gotten generators by now.

I eventually want to get a whole-house generator, but in the meantime, we have an RV with a 4kW generator (electric start) with a 50 gallon gas tank we keep topped off. Along with some gas in cans, we can go for 2 weeks before needing to get gas. I wired the generator into the well water pump and connect a hose to the RV which has it's own water heater for washing dishes and taking showers. We had the freezer, refrigerator, gas stove, microwave, coffee maker, 3 computers, 2 TV's, fiber terminal (FiOS), Wifi, routers, printer, cordless phones, cellular femtocell, 3 CFL lamps, clock radios, etc all running off the generator (and several extension cords). :-)

So glad I read this post. We have a generator, water, non-perishable food...but I had no idea you could get a conversion kit for your generator. My son requires medical equipment that is electricity dependent. I had no idea how we would make it through two weeks without power if gas became unavailable. (fortunately we didn't need to because we did not lose power). Thanks for the information. I will be looking into that immediately.

I agree kyle. Kudos to those who did prepare (we were ready) but everybody owning a generator is a bandaid, not a solution.

I believe Houston already have the underground infrastructure to do that. Such an infrastructure to build, in paramus alone, would be an enormous job. You need ventilation, access points for maintenance as well as for new construction, possible changes to water and sewer pipes. IF it were to be done it would cost millions of dollars, just for 1 town, and at least 15 years to do. On top of that, it's easier and more cost efficient to maintain the lines as they are. A better option would be to replace all the wooden poles, so that in the event a tree or a branch falls on a line, the line may snap but the poles would still be standing upright.
Intertwining power grids so that there is more than 1 feeder line, would also be another option.
I know there's lots of people that are for placing all the lines underground, but I wonder how many of those people would be for all the inconvenience it will take to have that done.

It is easy to bury lines in a new development or in a city after a hurricane wipes everything out. But it is real hard to do it in neighborhoods where you need to dig around pre-existing water, sewer and gas lines, avoid tree roots & deal w/ people living in and around the area going about their daily lives. The cost someone had pointed out earlier could be up to $1mm a mile and there are many thousands of miles of road in North Jersey.

And by the way, the lines were buried in areas of NYC, JC and Newark that lost power. Buried lines only prevent trees from knocking out power. They do nothing to prevent flooding from knocking out power.

O.J. - thanks for the info, interesting. I think we should look at long term solutions, do a cost analysis of each... I don't know the best solution for each town, but to just keep patching up the existing infrastructure to me IS wasteful and doesn't leave us any closer to being prepared for the next storm.

Many people are out of work, somehow we can figure out a way to make our infrastructure better and employ more Americans...but we can't begin if all we do is bicker.

NYC buried its lines after the blizzard of 1888. Public outcry started earlier, but it wasn't until 1890ish that they were all buried. It cost a lot of money then, and it was a hassle then. Imagine how much of a hassle it'll be in NJ now.

Interestingly, Thomas Edison buried the lines downtown long before this, but due to several different power companies in NYC, there were still lines above ground.

I am amazed more homeowners haven't gotten backup generators powered by natural gas. People that have lost power for a week or more 2x or more in the last 2 years need to start looking into this b/c they will lose power next time too.

Not everyone has a place for a generator. None will fit on our balcony/fire escape.

In addition, to the actual burying of the lines there is a huge paper trail that would have to take place. There would have to be utility easement agreements entered with every homeowner impacted. Utility easements in new developments go beyond the road right of way. Typically the “main” trench is in the road right of way, but the utility structures/boxes are outside the right of way on the homeowner’s property within the utility easement. Assigning a utility easement would entail updating every homeowner’s property survey and deed. All you need is one person to say no, or would want money and everything stops.

The service hits/meter pan on every house would have to be replaced which would involve permits and inspections from the Township. Typically the builder/homeowner is responsible from the riser at the meter pan into the house. In addition, to shutting down the power to transfer everything over from overhead to underground.

There would be switch gear, step down transformer boxes, telephone and cable pedestals etc on lawns. Tree removal, existing utility relocations, road openings for crossings (impacting traffic), digging up lawns, driveway and sidewalk removals and restoration. The site lighting would have to be replaced and placed once again on lawns. Once all of that is done, the old lines and poles would have to be removed requiring restoration. An monumental logistical nightmare.

I'm glad to see people talking about solutions...how do we begin to make a change?
Went to change.org as requested by someone on the Patch, browsed the petitions, and there are now 2 pages of petitions relating to JCP&L...

It's mind-numbing to go through this extended power outage for the second year in a row and to be witness to such continued negligence.

I also don't like the idea of reliance on gas/propane powered generators. Not everyone has the property to allow one. And, whose to say the next time around fuel won't be MORE of an issue than it is now...it's just not a solution.

Update our infrastructure or be liable or we should get another provider.

There was a suburban propane truck parked at the end of my street at 11pm. Two guys were standing outside smoking so I pulled up and asked them if they needed anything. They were up from MD (one guy was showing the other the way around the area) They told me they had been trying to deliver to a home caught between downed oak trees so they couldn't deliver. They tried in vain.

Thanks Michael!...signed.

I don't think anyone up there really knows that the non union power line workers got turned away. My son was there. So, they moved their team to Conneticut. They have been working there and they got a call Wednesday night that they needed them. They fired up 150,000 homes in 1 day and got directed to move to Staten Island. He said that the local utility companies would have to do the servicing. So, like I said to FEMA; there is people in the northeast who needs help and the union workers should put aside any feelings about experienced non union workers and work together as Americans. A lot of people in New Jersey could of had their power restored I believe if it wasn't for that. But, now all the sudden they are needed because of a deadline to be fulfilled. I am very sorry for the egnorace of who made the call to send away non union powerline workers. I feel badly for those who have to do without power because of a bad call. God Bless all of you that had to experience the shatter of Sandy.

Deb, that story was debunked a day after Sandy struck; it's time to spread a more current false rumor.

That was debunked too. Just like the story a few years ago about union workers sitting in their trucks and not plowing the city streets.

If you want to try and crush unions, try and use something truthful.

Really??? You have no clue!

I believe I have. Why did they work in NJ all day yesterday without signing any papers? They were called on Thursday night to move up to NJ to work. And as of early this morning they are moving again to help other areas affected. Signed..... Nancy Duggan.

Nancy... You really don't get it... The out of town crews that are working here are in unions in other states.... Dugh... OhioEdison, DukeEnergy, the subcontractors will sign because they want to make 2x time hourly pay.

bobby - that's false.

time and a half mon-fri for beyond 8 hours, time and a half for saturday hours, double time for sunday hours...

my father is one of the workers.

Kevin, didn't Bobby tell you not to attempt to debunk his statement? ;)

I agree that it could be a large percentage of the trees that had fallen. The acid rain produced may have some impact too. It stops the photosynthesis process.

No, they aren't dying b/c of any of the stuff you just posted. The trees are just far older so they are falling over. When I was a kid, every tree in my neighborhood was under 20 years old and far smaller. They almost never fell over in a storm. Well those smaller trees planted in the 60s got big and now in the 2010s they tower over every home and are very top heavy. Their roots are constrained by the roads & structures they were planted next to and that is very bad for the health of the tree and for its stability and now they tend to fall over far more frequently b/c there is so much weight up top and a constrained root system down below providing not so good anchoring to the ground. Big trees located next to roads & buildings is just a bad idea. It isn't healthy for the tree or for the power lines.

Trees, just like people, are more vulnerable to disease as they get older.

the trees aren't the major problem. it's the wind that knocked down most power lines and the poles that came down with them. our lines are actually very good for the trees. the big one will bring them down, but the ones that are a bit above average, you can drive around and see many wires still there with trees resting on them.

Go look at where the trees that fell were located. You will find far more were located a few free from a road or building than you will see located in a wide open area where the roots have room to spread. A tree planted next to a road is like a one legged man. One good shove in the right direction and it falls right over. Don't you get it? There are almost no roots under that pavement to hold the tree up and a big tall tree needs roots that spread out in a circle around it that is almost as wide as the tree's foliage.

We need steel poles!

What was unusual about this storm, IMO, was the 75+ MPH sustained gusts so far inland.

Most of the trees I saw were not rotted or diseased. A lot of what was left of those rotted trees, fell in the last two storms. What I saw that was unusual, was that most of the trees were UPROOTED, especially pines that don't have a deep root system. Even in open areas that have no (alleged) root constraints, perfectly healthy trees were pushed over.

Many telephone poles were falling, not due just to trees, but due to wind loading on the poles and wires. Over the years. we have been loading down poles with more and more services. In our area, in addition to the primary and secondary wiring, we have multiple land-line trunks, plus multiple Comcast lines, plus a big FiOS fiber cable and all the various interconnect boxes and amplifiers, adding both weight and wind loading. It's just more than these poles can take. The pole spacing probably dates back to the early part of the last century based on a fraction of the bearing weight and wind loading. My 2c...

1. Trees that were out in the woods, nowhere near roads, fell over just as much as the trees along the roads.

2. They are not dying because they are old. Most species of trees normally live for centuries - some live for thousands of years.

3. Acid rain is very bad for trees but there is less now than there used to be, because it comes from sulphur dioxide, which has been reduced. That's the visible part of smog. Nitrous oxides however have not been reduced, and that's what turns into ground-level ozone - the invisible part of smog. The background level is increasing. It gives people cancer, asthma, heart disease and other epidemic diseases. It's even more toxic to vegetation.

3. If you prefer not to believe any of these facts, well, I guess maybe you think smoking doesn't cause cancer, CO2 isn't a greenhouse gas and global warming isn't real, the earth is flat and it 6,000 years old.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/11/02/Alabama-utilities-deny-anti-union-rumor/UPI-87531351887473/

There you go... It's in the paper.... It must be so. Just telling you that our family is IN the business and have direct knowledge of the action. Also, note that they are speaking directly to the question about beng turned away... They were presented with the "rules of the game"... Join the union... And therefore opted not to play and left.

Nancy..... READ THE ARTICLE!!!
Next to last sentence... "You have to work through trade agreements (what do you think that is?) and aid agreements. One little company Joe Wheeler Electrical Serves as your validation? They've got 5 employees and one truck lol.

Here is your JWEMC company link....
http://www.jwemc.org/onlinebillpay.aspx
Now what?

no, they didn't turn down help. sorry, but you're wrong. stop spreading false information. can you provide any proof?

Bobby - my father is a utility worker. no idea what "in the business" means - but he's working side by side with non union workers.

the trade agreements are that the company has to follow certain procedures before bringing non-union workers on. it's standard. you can create an assumption out of it if you'd like to help spread your false information, but the fact is that non union workers are working, and they don't join the union.

Your son is either imaginary or lying to you. Even Christie said on camera that was all not true

That's because PSE&G did not require the same "trade agreement" as JCP&L. Again, you guys are like lemmings.... Christie said it it must be so.... The responses by Christie is couched in the "we turned them away at the boarder question."

It's the "I never had sex with that women" comment... Remember....define "sex." You really need to understand the art of public comment by officials.

jcpl's management is incompetent.

So Bobby, you won't believe the words of the governor, who never met a union he didn't like to bash, or any of the utilities companies involved, yet you expect us to believe you because you say you're "in the business"?

Of course he said that they weren't turned away at the boarder... This was true... But it isn't the reason that they didn't work for JCP&L.

How would that look for the Gov's disaster planning? It wouldn't look good and he would be wildly critized that he did not negotiate a plan that allowed any able bodied electrical worker or company to assist? Those kind of things cost politicians dearly.

repairs/maint to underground lines is more costly. the utilities have little to no desire to do it. aesthetic reasons only.

More costly but significantly less frequent. Not even a comparison.

This link provides a list of expected restorations by street. Considering current conditions, it will take a miracle.

LOL, you can disregard this link. It is now 11/11, due to be restored 11/10 and still powerless

And yet power has still not been restored to all in New Jersey.

And it wont be, for homes that have been flooded out. It's not safe. BTW, JCP&L says there are 19 out in Brick. (They could by lying...just sayin'..)