Assembly Telecommunication and Utilities Chair Wayne DeAngelo and Assemblywoman Angela McKnight issued the following statements after their joint hearing on the widespread utility outages occurring after the recent tropical storm, ISAIAS:
Assemblyman DeAngelo (D-Mercer, Middlesex): “Over one million residents lost power or were affected in some way by the power outages caused by the storm. We’ve seen this time and time again. During every major storm, downed trees and overgrown vegetation cause rolling power outages to take place. With many residents working from home, losing power for days at a time is unacceptable. There must be a better utility management plan in place for storms. I thank the utilities’ that came to testify today and, hopefully, we can work together to figure this out for residents.”
Assemblywoman McKnight (D-Hudson): “The lights cannot go out for extended periods of time each time there is a storm. Municipal services have been impacted. Police departments were impacted. Residents’ lost food and medicine expired. Our most vulnerable populations, our seniors and those in need of medical care, are at risk when there are long power outages. It’s time to put a back-up plan in place to ensure power is restored quickly and efficiently. Communication is also key. Residents should also be kept informed during these times. From the testimony today, we gained insight into what took place and the impact of these outages on New Jersey residents.”