Sunday, April 28, 2013
Insurance companies blame 2011's Tropical Storm Irene, Halloween nor'easter — not Sandy — for highest in nation auto rate increase.
New Jersey motorists, who currently pay among the highest rates for auto insurance now, are going to have to dig a bit deeper into their wallets to pay for increases in auto insurance, according to published report Sunday. Insurers and state regulators are saying Hurricane Sandy, which devastated portions of the state including the Jersey Shore, is not the reason for state approving rate increases for 26 insurers thus far in 2013, according to a NorthJersey.com report. Instead, officials blame the rate increases on losses related to Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween nor’easter from two years ago, medical costs that continue to rise, reinsurance expenses and dim forecasts of investment income, the report said. Allstate, New Jersey …
Sunday, October 28, 2012
What causes them, how they're measured, the worst in recent memory, how to prepare, and more.
Here is a primer on hurricanes, including interesting hurricane facts, an explanation of the Saffir-Simpson scale, descriptions of some of the most devastating hurricanes in recent history, and a guide to how you and your family should prepare in case of a hurricane. What IS a hurricane? A hurricane is a storm with sustained wind speed of at least 74 miles per hour. A tropical storm has wind speeds of 39 to 73 mph. A tropical depression is a storm with a wind speed of 38 mph. The anatomy of a hurricane To have a hurricane, you have to have warm water; this is why hurricanes only happen in the summer. Hurricanes are started by tropical depressions over water that’s at least 80 degrees. Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure …
Thursday, October 25, 2012
JCP&L instituted new communications, repair plans after last year's major storms—will it be enough?
Two months after New Jersey residents recovered from flooding and damage caused by 2011's Hurricane Irene, the area was hit with a severe winter storm. The storm's snowfall piled more than a foot deep in many areas, and the heavy, wet precipitation snapped tree limbs and utility poles, causing massive power outages that in some cases took a week to repair. And on the anniversary of that storm, New Jersey is facing a potentially more dangerous storm: Hurricane Sandy, which has already claimed lives in the Carribean and is currently forecast to reach the area Monday morning—just in time to collide with a possible winter storm. Keeping a close eye on the storms are meteorologists with JCP&L, which says employees have already been put on alert…
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Recently-released state Board of Public Utilities report charges FirstEnergy affiliate with being more concerned with image during Irene.
JCP&L, since Hurricane Irene in August 2011, has said it has committed a lot of money and resources toward improving not only how the utility communicates with its customers, but also how it runs its business. The state Board of Public Utilities, however, handed down a verdict in a recent report that states the FirstEnergy affiliate first spent more energy trying to save face, according to a NJBIZ.com article. The article notes the BPU report cites JCP&L's initial two Irene press releases from Aug. 28 and Aug. 25, 2011, the latter three days before the storm actually hit New Jersey. JCP&L "gave no indication that restoration could take several days or longer. Advice to customers appeared to have secondary importance," according to the BPU …
Monday, August 27, 2012
Owner said Montville skatepark will not last another year without being subsidized.
Todd Schwartz would challenge any Montville business owner to say that their business was as damaged by the tropical storm following Hurricane Irene as his. Schwartz, a Towaco resident, owns GardenSK8 and said more than $250,000 worth of damage was done to his indoor skatepark facility, in addition to the business losing thousands of dollars in revenue from canceled camp programs and clinics. One year ago this week, the Changebridge Road business was only acessible by boat as Schwartz made floatation devices out of decorations and salvaged anything he could by pulling items out of the water. While frantically trying to save damaged things, Schwartz said he also used his military Hummer vehicle, which was totaled after the storm, and boat …
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Mayor remembers 'heroes' of storm aftermath as flood mitigation committee works on preventing flooding in the future.
One year after the tropical storm following Hurricane Irene tore through the Northeast, Montville Township officials said progress has been made in ensuring the devastating flooding like some neighborhoods encountered does not happen again. The storm hit Montville on August 27, 2011, but residents began preparing days in advance by stocking up on supplies and planning for power outages. Despite having advance warning of the severity of the storm and Montville officials coming together to strategize, the actual destruction the storm brought in several neighborhoods in the township was worse than many expected. Remembering how bad the damage of the storm was, Montville Township Mayor Tim Braden called the local firefighters "heroes" for the …
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Nearly a year later, a devastating hurricane still remains at the front of our minds.
- SUMMER
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Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Hurricane Irene made landfall in New Jersey last August, including Montville, causing floods not seen in more than 100 years, according to some locals. We were there, as were you, dealing with road closures, extended power outages and damaged homes. It was a historic moment, to say the least. Montville Township is still working to clean waterways that were filled with debris after the storm. Now that we're just a few weeks from the one-year anniversary (Aug. 28), let's relive that historic time by sharing our photos with the neighborhood. Just click the "Upload Photos and Videos" button in this post and you'll be on your way. We'll be able to share your media with the rest of our readers as we look back on Hurricane Irene at the end of …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Town teams up with local municipalities to help rid waterways of debris.
Montville Township is continuing its team effort with seven other towns to desnag waterways that have contained debris since the tropical storm that followed Hurricane Irene. Township Administrator Victor Canning and Mayor Tim Braden completed an inventory of snags in the township's rivers and streams last weekend. The inventory will be combined with that of the other towns' to possibly be used for a joint grant application. Montville joins Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Denville Township, Boonton Township, Town of Boonton, Wharton Borough and the Township of Parsippany on what has been called the Desnagging Committee of the Rockaway River. The Rockaway River runs through all of the municipalities involved and representatives from …
Friday, April 27, 2012
Administrator said township's expenses for hurricane and October storm mostly to blame for increase.
Under Montville Township's proposed 2012 budget, municipal taxes on the average assessed home of $528,239 will increase by about $50, according to Township Administrator Victor Canning. The budget was introduced April 10 and a public hearing will be held on it on May 8 at 8 p.m. at the Montville Township Municipal Building before its adoption. The proposed budget calls for $28,552,951 in appropriations and an anticipated $28,552,951 in revenue, however, Canning said the township had to spend $143,460 on efforts during and after the storm that followed Hurricane Irene and the October snowstorm Canning referred to as "Snowtober." "We will get reimbursed from (the Federal Emergency Management Agency)," Canning said, however, since the …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Local family returns to a sense of normalcy after unexpected flooding forced total renovations of their home.
Seven months after the tropical storm from Hurricane Irene flooded out his home, Pine Brook resident Bob Dudek reflected and summed up the storm event as a giant test. “It tested your marriage; it tested your relationships,” said Dudek. “You find out who your friends are and who your friends aren’t.” Dudek said the flooding was similar to how one may respond to a death in the family. “You don’t know how you are going to react until it happens,” he said. Dudek, along with his wife, Elaine, and son, Rob, were among about two dozen families who were affected by unexpected flooding after the initial storm had passed. Changebridge, Woodmont and Normandy Roads, Sheffield Street and Walnut Drive were some of the streets hardest-hit by the sudden …
Peggy Davison
1:17 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Thanks for the link Chris! After reading the article, I too am confused as to why our rates are so high, and rising. It simply does not make any sense! more ›