Gov. Sherrill visits Morris County emergency operations center as storm recovery continues
MORRIS COUNTY, N.J. — Gov. Mikie Sherrill recently visited the Morris County Emergency Operations Center and 9-1-1 Communications Center on Monday to meet with emergency officials and utility crews as recovery efforts continued following severe storms that swept through the region over the holiday weekend.
Sherrill met with Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw, Sheriff James Gannon, county public safety officials, emergency management personnel and first responders before visiting Jersey Central Power & Light’s staging operation in Morris County to thank utility crews restoring power and discuss ongoing restoration efforts with company leadership. Assemblywoman Aura Dunn also participated in the visit.
“My administration is in constant communication with our utility partners to ensure they are working to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” said Gov. Sherrill. “I know many communities were hit hard, and we’re committed to helping them recover.”
County officials said emergency crews have responded to thousands of storm-related incidents since Friday evening, including downed trees and power lines, blocked roadways, structural damage, fires and medical emergencies.
During the July 3 storm alone, the Morris County Communications Center handled more than 4,000 emergency calls between 7:30 p.m. and midnight. By comparison, the center received 120 calls during the same time period the previous Friday.
“From our 9-1-1 dispatchers and emergency management personnel to our police, fire, EMS, public works and utility crews, this has been an around-the-clock effort and we are grateful for their tireless efforts,” Shaw said. “This was a quick hitting catastrophic storm, and we have been working with our municipalities and JCP&L to prioritize restoration to bring critical infrastructure and large numbers back online as quickly as possible. We appreciate the patience of our residents as we work to finish the cleanup from this storm.”
As of Monday, more than 20,000 JCP&L customers in Morris County remained without power, while roadway cleanup continued in areas where utility crews were still working.
The Morris County Office of Emergency Management continues coordinating response and recovery efforts with municipalities, first responders, county agencies and utility partners, including assistance for residents affected by power outages and extreme heat.
County officials urged residents to continue reporting power outages directly to JCP&L, noting that outage reports help prioritize restoration efforts. Officials also reminded residents to avoid downed power lines, never drive through flooded roadways and use caution around ongoing cleanup operations.
According to the county, power restoration is expected to take several days because of the extensive storm damage, with priority given to life safety, critical infrastructure and medically vulnerable residents.
