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…
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
One year later, OEM coordinators remember how the communities came together during tropical storm event.
Kinnelon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Coordinator Harry Hicks said the Borough of Kinnelon was prepared for Tropical Storm Irene. The borough is prepared for any storm. As such, he said Irene, which flooded out many streets in nearby Bloomingdale, Lincoln Park and Pequannock, was "almost just another storm" for his team. One year ago this week, the tropical storm that followed Hurricane Irene hit the tri-boro. The storm had little impact on Kinnelon, with the exception of several residents, particularly in Smoke Rise, losing power and two road collapses: one on Kinnelon Road and another on Forge Road. It took more than three months for the county-owned Kinnelon Road to be repaired and the borough is still in the process of …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Road was closed for three hours while train contractors repaired tracks.
Hamburg Turnpike was shut down for more than three hours near Butler Printing & Laminating Monday as contractors worked to repair a washout that brought three feet of water through the train tracks, according to Butler Fire Chief Jim Neill. Neill said the Butler Fire Department responded around 5:08 p.m. to close the road to traffic while the railroad contractors worked to repair gravel under the tracks that had been washed out. The railroad tracks were similarly damaged one year ago from water during the tropical storm that followed Hurricane Irene, although Neill said the water that came around the tracks last year was "much deeper." According to Neill, the water came down a hill from the Terrace Lake spillway behind the Cambridge …
Monday, August 27, 2012
A year later, the devastating hurricane still remains at the front of our minds.
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Monday, August 27, 2012
Hurricane Irene made landfall in New Jersey last August, including in the tri-boro, 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. Bloomingdale is still working on flood mitigation on Main Street, which is partially needed as a result of the storm. Share your own photos by clicking the "Upload Photos and Videos" button in this post.
Monday, March 5, 2012
More payments are coming to New Jersey but officials need to work toward more permanent solutions.
It’s been six months since two torrential summer storms caused widespread flooding in North Jersey, and the costs keep rising. Last week, New Jersey's U.S. senators announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was giving grants of $21 million to elevate houses and to buy out homes hit especially hard by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee last year. Parsippany would see the lion’s share of that—$7.2 million, both for voluntary buyouts and to raise homes above the path of flood waters. Denville is getting $2 million. Pompton Lakes is receiving $2.2 million for buyouts. According to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, state and local governments are going to kick in an additional $7 million. This is just the latest, and likely not the last, in …
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Report based on independent study of floodgates on Pompton River dam.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is still working on a report on the operation of the floodgates on the Pompton River dam. “We’re still working on the report,” said Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman. “The goal is the release the findings later this month.” Governor Chris Christie last year said the report would be complete Feb. 1. Christie after touring flood-ravaged areas in the Passaic River Flood Basin after Hurricane Irene struck the area in August of last year. Christie ordered the gatesto alleviate potential flooding. Despite 3 feet of water being drained from behind the dam, residents below the dam still said it was the worst flooding they’d ever seen. “My view was, there were so many residents who thought that the…
Monday, December 19, 2011
State utilities board plans to hire a consultant to recommend improvements
Last week, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ first report on the biggest power outage of the year confirmed what many in the Morris County area already knew: Compared to the state’s other utilities, JCP&L did a lousy job. Issued last Wednesday, the preliminary report gives initial recommendations for changes in procedures based on power companies’ responses to Tropical Storm Irene—the National Weather Service now says it was not a hurricane when it hit New Jersey. It also began to place blame for power outages that lasted for more than a week not once, but twice, in roughly two months, the second being the late October snowstorm. “While all of the utilities experienced challenges during these severe weather events, it was apparent …
Friday, December 2, 2011
Two lanes to be open during rush hour, construction to continue.
After more than three months of closure, the section of Kinnelon Road near Lake Rickabear will be open to traffic beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Kinnelon Mayor Bob Collins said two lanes will be open during heavy rush hour traffic and one lane will be open during other times so that workers can continue with construction and installation of a new culvert on the roadway. Collins said construction is expected to be complete by the middle of December. "During the day, people with flags, when there's work going on, will basically be directing traffic," he said. The Morris County-owned road was closed after the road collapsed and left a hole in the roadway during the tropical storm that followed Hurricane Irene in August. A few Kinnelon …
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 ›