Gov. Sherrill outlines storm response as lawmaker criticizes lack of state of emergency declaration
NEW JERSEY — Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Monday highlighted New Jersey’s ongoing response to widespread storm damage, while a northwestern New Jersey lawmaker criticized the administration for declining to issue a state of emergency declaration.
In a statement, Sherrill said the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management remains activated and is coordinating recovery efforts following days of severe weather that included damaging thunderstorms and significant flooding.
“The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) continues to be activated and assisting communities across the state with severe weather conditions, including those impacted by today’s substantial flooding. During the last few days, I have been in direct contact with mayors, as well as our utility companies, transit officials, and our emergency responders to ensure a closely coordinated response. I’m grateful to all of our public servants who have been working around the clock to keep people safe. Our communities have been hit hard, and we will continue to help them recover,” Sherrill said.
State officials said the State Emergency Operations Center has remained fully operational throughout the response, allowing agencies to coordinate storm recovery while also supporting public safety operations related to FIFA World Cup events across New Jersey.
The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management has also opened a Damage Assessment Portal to document storm-related damage that could support requests for federal disaster assistance.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation said crews continue responding to flooding, downed trees and other storm-related impacts on state highways, while the Board of Public Utilities reported that utility companies are restoring power after approximately 500,000 outages statewide. About 50,000 outages remained Monday, according to the state.
The administration said mutual aid crews from Canada and other states have been brought into New Jersey to assist with power restoration.
NJ TRANSIT also reported significant damage from the storms, including more than 50 trees falling onto tracks and overhead wires. Most rail service resumed for Monday’s commute, although portions of the Morris & Essex Line, Gladstone Branch and the western end of the Raritan Valley Line continued operating on modified service.
Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, R-Sussex, criticized the administration’s decision not to declare a state of emergency.
In a Facebook post Monday, Fantasia said multiple mayors, county officials and she participated in a 4 p.m. conference call with members of the Governor’s Office to discuss the issue.
“There are ZERO reasons why the Governor will not call a State of Emergency,” Fantasia wrote. “Multiple mayors, county staff, and I all asked that same question seven different ways on a group call today at 4pm with Governor Mikie Sherrill’s office and got impressive verbal gymnastics from senior staff. The Governor herself did not join the call.”
Fantasia also posted a screenshot from the state’s emergency management website highlighting New Jersey’s statutory definition of a disaster, arguing that the widespread storm damage met the criteria for a declaration.
“The answer? THERE IS NO VALID ANSWER,” Fantasia wrote. “The reasoning for no declaration was preposterous.”
She also questioned whether residents still without electricity, running water and access to their properties had received sufficient state assistance.
“It’s too late??? The event is over, right??? Tell that to people with no electricity from Friday night, no running water, and no egress!!! We can declare with snow, but not to help clear roadways of downed trees???” Fantasia wrote.
State Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, R-Morris/Passaic, also commented on the storm response Monday, thanking emergency responders and utility workers while calling for improvements to future restoration efforts.
“Throughout the response, I remained in close communication with our local mayors, county officials, the Governor’s Office, and JCP&L. I have also shared several recommendations with the Governor and would like to work with JCP&L on ways to strengthen future storm response. While I appreciate the hard work of the utility crews in challenging conditions, there is room for improvement in communication, coordination, and the timely deployment of additional resources during widespread outages. By working together to address these issues, we can help reduce the impact on residents and improve the restoration process during future storms,” Bucco said.
The Sherrill administration has not announced plans to issue a statewide state of emergency declaration related to the storms.
