Latest Blog Posts
Village President Torpey Speaks with Rutgers Students About Local Planning
On Thursday, Village President Alex Torpey spoke with a group of graduate students at Rutgers Edward J Bloustein school of Planning of Public Policy. The event was organized by Rutgers Bloustein students who wanted to bring a local official's perspective to students in their planning program.
Torpey spoke with about 30 graduate students about topics such as affordable housing challenges facing local governments, sustainability initiatives happening in South Orange, like complete streets and bike lanes, EV charging stations, LEED certifications for new developments and more, as well as emergency planning and preparedness efforts, especially in relation to planning and advocating for a more redundant power infrastructure. South Orange has recently taken the lead on advocating for solutions from the state legislature to help fix problems related to utilities response to Superstorm Sandy. Read more about that.
Students asked questions and engaged in a long Q+A session about local planning initiatives, the role that the mayor plays in the planning process, what challenges exist to expanding public transit access at the local level, and the relationship between town development and Seton Hall University.
Brandon McKoy, a South Orange resident and Bloustein student who co-organized the event said that "The event provided an excellent opportunity for students to gain a unique insight into the many issues and difficulties inherent in dealing with land use development at a local level. Alex's perspective was thoroughly appreciated and we can't thank him enough for agreeing to speak with the Bloustein and Rutgers community."
Several students also expressed interest in getting directly involved in the local government process, and Torpey, along with one of the event organizers strongly encouraged students to think about running for office in New Brunswick or locally in the towns where they are from. Taking advantage of online tools to help get information out about their ideas for planning, development and community engagement is a strong factor in making it easier for younger people to run for office at the local level and contribute their energy to the governance process. Torpey mentioned that because the barrier of entry to running for office is lower now than it ever has been, the opportunity exists now more than it has before for people to participate in their local democracy. Torpey recently launched a nonpartisan nonprofit 'Rethink Leadership' as a way for people interested in running for office to start networking and building relationships around innovative ideas for government.
How the Community Will Help Us Prepare for the Next Super Storm
Below is an op-ed I wrote, as Village President and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator:
Superstorm Sandy was one of the worst storms ever to hit the state of New Jersey. However, despite its seeming rarity, it will not be the last, as weather events seem to be trending towards the more extremes.
As a result, a unique opportunity exists to collectively and comprehensively assess what happened and to make improvements and recommendations before the next major storms hits.
Although from the feedback we've received, the response and communication from the Village itself was generally very good, we can, of course, always do better. And it is critical to remember that, for an event this large, the Village’s response is significantly impacted by the response of others, for example PSE&G and NJ Transit.
ACLU NJ recognizes New Jersey leaders, including Village President Alex Torpey for Open Government
This Thanksgiving, the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union thanked a few New Jersey leaders who they feel made a positive impact for the citizens of New Jersey in 2012:
- Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno & Board of Elections Director Robert Giles for protecting voters
-
South Orange Village President Alex Torpey for commitment to open government
- All of the emergency crews, public servants, and New Jersey residents who supported each other before, during and after Hurricane Sandy
Read the full press release from the ACLU.
From the Village: Village officials ask Trenton to hold PSE&G accountable for storm response
Below please find a press release from the Village regarding accountability post Hurricane Sandy, and the resolution which was passed at the end of the post.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many towns are asking for accountability from utility companies that some feel failed to provide accurate and timely information not only to customers, but also to local governments and emergency personnel.
On Monday night, the South Orange Board of Trustees unanimously voted to send a strong message to the Village’s electricity provider - Public Service Electric & Gas - and to State Officials in Trenton that legislative steps need to be taken to remedy the problems that occurred over the past two weeks.
"The failure of communication, information management and emergency preparedness on the part of PSE&G as a whole is unacceptable" said Village President Alex Torpey who is not only the Village’s Mayor, but also Office of Emergency Management Coordinator. "The most frustrating part is that we brought up many of these concerns last year after the snowstorm and Hurricane Irene, and we have not seen adequate progress on making the changes needed. That means it's time for a legislative fix, I think that’s the only way we’re going to see progress.
The Resolution sent the recommendation to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, New Jersey Legislature, Governor's Office, and White House Office of Intergovernmental affairs, among others, to ask the Legislature and BPU to conduct an investigation into how PSE&G manages information, communicates, prepares for and responds to extreme power outages. The Resolution further asks the New Jersey Legislature to compel PSE&G, and all public utility companies, through legislative action to adopt the recommendations resulting from this investigation.
South Orange Trustee Howard Levison noted the significant implications of these failures by PSE&G for other necessary repairs, "PSEG was a critical path to many of our critical infrastructure components, from re-lighting our gaslamps to replacing poles so that our communication providers – Verizon and Cablevision - could begin their repair efforts."
Many other towns felt similar frustration and, since Monday, have asked for copies of South Orange's resolution for consideration and possible adoption by their governing bodies. Mayor Vic DeLuca of Maplewood acknowledged that PSE&G's system "is broken" and that he was "getting more information from people from Texas, Mississippi and Pennsylvania than from PSE&G." Mayor DeLuca plans to ask the Maplewood Township Committee next week to consider passing a sister resolution. As legislators across the state start considering bills to address some of the changes and related storm preparedness issues, village officials have begun to work with representatives of their 27th legislative district to find state-wide solutions and expressed that they hope to continue to pass -and urge others to pass - resolutions showing their community's support for new measures being considered at the state level.
Most homes in South Orange were without power for more than one week, and power did not get fully restored until 13 days after Hurricane Sandy. The Village believes that some of the delays were caused by repair tickets being closed out because homes were misreported as already having power restored when it had not been and mismanagement of how jobs were assigned to out of state workers. These shortcomings, and the lack of clear information provided to government officials, prevented people from planning and preparing for where they would stay during the cold, powerless nights. Additionally, Village officials are concerned that required pole and line maintenance, and proper trimming of trees around power lines has not taken place, and expect that to be incorporated into an updated emergency preparedness plan.
Village officials noted that although South Orange was relatively fortunate to have been spared the devastation suffered by some other communities, they are concerned that without advocacy for legislative fixes, those communities won’t get the relief they need and proper procedures won't be put into place to prevent this from happening again.
Storm Information
For the latest official information from the Village please visit http://southorange.org and sign up for alerts at http://southorange.org/alerts.
November 4th Update from the Village Post-Sandy
Below find the latest update from the Village's Office of Emergency Management:
Updated Essential Hurricane Sandy Information
Information from the South Orange Office of Emergency Managment below:
Hurricane Sandy Preparedness Information
South Orange Office of Emergency Management will be posting updates on this page throughout the weekend and through the duration of Hurricane Sandy. You can also follow South Orange on Twitter @SouthOrangeNJ for the quickest updates. Setup Twitter to text you when South Orange posts an update: https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169920-how-to-get-sms-notifications-for-tweets-and-activity.
Monday, October 29th 430pm
Essential information regarding Hurricane Sandy as of Monday, October 29th from South Orange Office of Emergency Management
- Shelter in-home, unless specific conditions exist that require you to evacuate (see below)
- We expect the major impact of the storm to be late Monday night into Tuesday morning, with significant rainfall and extremely hazardous wind conditions
- Primary town shelter will be located at the South Orange Public Library at 65 Scotland Road. To utilize the shelter please call SOPD at 973 763 3000. Leashed pets allowed. Bring supplies/bedding.
- County shelter is available at Codey Arena, 560 Northfield Avenue in West Orange. Leashed pets allowed.
- All village offices, school district, Seton Hall and state and county offices are closed
- As of 4pm on Monday, all roads in the Village are closed for non-emergency vehicles and on-street parking suspended.
- To report a power outage contact PSE&G directly at: 800-436-7734.
- Ensure you are signed up for emergency alerts, and have taken all steps to get real-time information from the Village and other agencies as it happens (see below)
Brief Weather Information
The major impact of Hurricane Sandy is poised to hit the New Jersey area Monday night/early Tuesday morning. Hazards include rainfall, flooding, extreme high winds, power outages, downed wires and trees and inaccessible roadways. We are expecting significant wind hazards to exist throughout the duration of this storm, follow some of the steps outlined below to help mitigate those risks. There are already reports of many trees down, it is advisable to stay indoors in a safe place as much as possible.
Find more weather information from Weather.gov about South Orange at: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=South+Orange&state=NJ&site=OKX&lat=40.749&lon=-74.2616
Hurricane Sandy path:
Sheltering Information
Residents are encouraged, if appropriate, to shelter in-home. There is not an evacuation order issued for South Orange. However, if you or a member of your household has special medical needs, or your house is in an area that typically floods to an uninhabitable level, OEM guidelines suggest first attempting to make contact with nearby friends/family or take advantage of either the Village's primary shelter at the public library at 65 Scotland Road or the Essex County Shelter at Codey arena, 560 Northfiield Ave, West Orange. If the storm conditions persist, or the primary shelter reaches capacity, a backup village shelter will be located at the Seton Hall University Fieldhouse.
Residents are encouraged to bring bedding, clothes, any food/water, medications and other supplies you might need. The shelter will be opened as needed, and if you require these accommodations and need assistance evacuating your home and being transported to the shelter, please contact the SOPD at the non-emergency number at 973 763 3000.
Residents are advised to take precautions as identified below:
- Have plenty of fresh water at your disposal
- Have all cell phones fully charged
- Have all emergency and contact numbers available
- Have working flashlights with fresh batteries available
- Inform friends or relatives of your whereabouts
- Stay inside your home away from all windows, which should be shut and shuttered, if possible
- Store inside or securely tie down all lawn furniture, or other loose outside items
- Remove propane tanks from outdoor grills and place in a secure location away from where flooding could occur
- Avoid all contact with any downed or sagging wires, and be mindful of standing water surrounding a downed or sagging power wire. Immediately call 9-1-1 to report downed power lines
Village offices and operations
All Village offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. In addition, the school district is closed Monday, as well as Seton Hall University, and all New Jersey state offices.
South Orange Police, Fire, Rescue Squad and public works have called in extra staff and volunteers for the duration of the storm, and village officials, key essential employees and OEM have been working around the clock to put all of the preparation in place for Sandy's arrival.
Roads/Transit/NJ Transit
Residents should expect that mass transit will not be available starting on Monday through the duration of the major storm impact through Tuesday. From New Jersey Transit:
"NJ TRANSIT will implement a gradual system-wide shutdown of all bus, rail, light rail and Access Link service, starting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 28 and continuing through 2 a.m. on Monday morning." Visit http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=CustomerNoticeTo&NoticeId=2299 to find out more information.
Expect major roads to be in-traversable, and many roads to be flooded or dangerous to access. As of 4pm on Monday, all roads in the Village are closed for non-emergency vehicles and on-street parking is suspended. If you need assistance getting to a shelter, contact SOPD non-emergency at 973 763 3000.
Flooding
Certain areas in town in lower-lying regions near the Rahway river typically flood in large rain quantities. We are expecting a large amount of rain beginning through the duration of Sandy, and residents in these areas should take special care to move belongings or sensitive equipment or supplies to higher ground and take advantage of staying with friends or family nearby or in a village or county operated shelter.
Power Outages
There are already reports of power outages in Village as of Monday afternoon. PSE&G cannot tell that your power is out unless you contact them. Contact PSE&G directly to report your power being out at 800-436-7734. The Village has been in contact with PSE&G to ensure priority will be made to essential facilities and at-risk individuals and then working down from the largest neighborhoods to single users.
Leaf Collection
The department of public works has been doing as much leaf collection as possible as well as clearing storm drains and catch basins this weekend through Monday evening. If you notice that a drain near your property is blocked, we appreciate all residents being proactive about doing best to clear them. Clearing out the drains delays the potential onset of flooding and, while the system is still within capacity, will help reduce flooding. Do not put any leaves in the street at this time.
Water Supplies
The Village has been in contact with East Orange Water Commission, which has taken preparedness steps to install backup generators to ensure that there is a continuous flow of water even if power is interrupted.
Local Resources
There are multiple ways to get the latest information from the Village and other agencies:
- @SouthOrangeNJ on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SouthOrangeNJ
- Nixle: https://local.nixle.com/register/
- Call the Baird hotline for a pre-recorded message at 973 762 0748
- Village email/text/voice alerts: http://southorange.org/alerts
- Latest updates will be posted on http://southorange.org
- Bulletins have been placed on SOMAtv
- South Orange Patch
- Landline telephone via reverse 911. Ensure you check your home voice messages.
- Local email distribution lists. If you get an email, forward it to your neighbors.
If you need assistance do not hesitate to contact South Orange Police Department at 973 763 3000. For all emergencies dial 9-1-1. For power outages, contact PSE&G directly at: 800-436-7734.
More Information:
- http://weather.gov
Video Update: Train schedules, new website, electric vehicle charging stations and more!
Latest video update:
