Gottheimer Assesses Damage And Orange & Rockland’s Storm Recovery Efforts In Wyckoff, Demands Expedited Plan and Timelines

Today, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited Wyckoff neighborhoods left without power following last week’s storms, after spending Friday afternoon touring storm damage with mayors in Sussex and Warren Counties. Gottheimer met with Wyckoff Mayor Brian Scanlan and discussed his call to Orange and Rockland Utilities (O&R), as well as Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), to improve their storm response and coordination, because they haven’t delivered on estimates given to local mayors and residents.

Yesterday, Gottheimer also invited JCP&L President James Fakult, Chuck Jones, the CEO of JCP&L parent company FirstEnergy, and O&R CEO and President Robert Sanchez to join him after the cleanup is over at a community forum to hear from frustrated residents. He has been in touch with mayors, emergency workers and first responders from across the Fifth District all week, who have worked incredibly hard for their residents.

“It is unacceptable that, now more than a week after the first storm hit, thousands of New Jersey families are still without power, heat, and running water,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “I am deeply thankful to our first responders, crews, emergency management coordinators, and mayors, who, as always, have gone the extra mile to restore power to thousands of Fifth District families. Unfortunately, their dedication on the ground is not being matched by the leadership of our utility companies. We’ve seen massive mismanagement among our utility companies. We need to continue to put pressure on them to improve their storm recovery efforts to get the lights on now — and find ways to prevent this from happening again in the future.”

BELOW: Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Wyckoff Mayor Brian Scanlan assess damage in the Knolls at the corner of Martom Road and Van Houten Ave.