The Mayor's Letter Re: the Snow

This message from Mayor McCormac was just published on The Woodbridge News, which is a township newsletter that can be found  HERE ...

A Message from Mayor McCormac

Thursday, 30 December 2010 20:38

I would like to thank Woodbridge Township residents for their patience and perseverance throughout the “Christmas 2010” snow storm that effectively paralyzed much of the state and the Middlesex County region. It is important to recognize that the National Weather Service reported that nearly 32 inches of snow fell in the Woodbridge area – more than three inches per hour throughout most of Sun., Dec. 26 and into Mon., Dec. 27. In addition to the record snowfall, steady winds gusting to 45 mph caused drifts of up to eight feet deep in some areas of the Township. I don’t think any Woodbridge resident would disagree that this storm will be remembered as the most severe winter snow storm in recent Woodbridge history.
It’s important that we take a look at all the factors that come together during an emergency storm event so we can truly understand and appreciate the “round-the-clock” efforts of the Township Department of Public Works and municipal employees from the many divisions and related public service agencies (the Department of Public Works, Sanitation, Streets, Sewer, Parks & Recreation, Office of Emergency Management, Woodbridge Police Department, and the various Woodbridge Fire, Ambulance and Emergency Service squads) that come together to effectively provide services during an emergency event. From noon on Sun., Dec. 26 to midnight on Mon., Dec. 27, the Woodbridge Emergency Dispatch Center received more than 1,000 calls from the public for emergency service including motor vehicle accidents, stuck, disabled and/or abandoned vehicles on major roadways, and medical-related emergencies. The Woodbridge Police Department responded to 112 motor vehicle accidents and 208 reports of abandoned/disabled vehicles; the Office of Emergency Management reported that Woodbridge Township Fire Departments and First Aid Units responded to 161 medical emergencies and more than 100 emergency calls for fire department service. The Woodbridge Auto Tow Unit responded to and towed 99 vehicles that were abandoned in the driving lanes of primary and secondary roadways which were blocking snow plow operations (no vehicles parked on snow emergency routes were towed or ticketed).
The Department of Public Works mobilized more than 130 municipal workers manning 80 plow trucks, 51 salt trucks, and 20 special equipment vehicles (rear end loaders, dozers, snow melter, and related heavy equipment). For more than 72 hours, the Department of Public Works operated 24/7 plowing primary, secondary, and neighborhood streets. It is important to remember that with more than 3 inches of snow falling per hour, the primary task remained keeping primary roadways open for public safety – police, fire and emergency ambulance service. In fact, every one of the more than 1,000 calls for service received a service response. It is also important to recognize that the Woodbridge Department of Public Works is not responsible for plowing state and county highways - Route 35 (Amboy Avenue), Route 1 and 9, and other principal roadways that traverse the Township. And, the Governor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police & Office of Emergency Management issued an Emergency Declaration restricting travel to essential personnel only.
As is true with any large-scale emergency event, there are always unexpected situations that impact our response. In this case, the Verizon telephone system that provides service to the Department of Public Works in Keasbey went “out-of-service,” which prevented residents from getting a direct connection to staff manning the phones at the main Public Works facility. We apologize for the loss of incoming and outgoing phone service and are working with Verizon to assure continued and uninterrupted service during future emergency events. In the meantime, resident calls for service were handled by the staff at the Mayor’s Office – every call was answered, logged, and if additional service was required, a priority response was issued to the Snow Emergency Dispatch Center.
It goes without saying that the Department of Public Works – supervisors, plow operators, drivers, and support staff – pulled yeoman service from Sunday through Wednesday, working to clear streets, thorofares, and municipal facilities of more than 32 inches of snow and accumulated drifts. While some residents may feel that the response was slow or ineffective - and we recognize that we can always improve on readiness and response – we can report that notwithstanding the incredible impact of this storm, every available resource was put in place and the emergency operations plan worked successfully. I would also like to recognize and thank the many Township residents, home and business owners that took time to go out and acknowledge our Public Works workers – in some instance, residents offered hot beverages to workers in support of their tireless efforts.
While every storm event is different, and requires a different response each and every time, we recognize that the plowing of streets is not always perfect, and that some streets may get overlooked. That’s why we will continue to look at the way we deliver emergency services during extreme circumstances. However, I think most everyone in the Township would agree that we have the most dedicated and knowledgeable Department of Public Works and public safety workers of any town in the state… more importantly, our residents, homeowners and business owners understand and appreciate that the Woodbridge Department of Public Works provides reliable, quality service every day of the year.
Respectfully,
John E. McCormac
Mayor Woodbridge Township