This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

County Emergency Personnel Still in 'Full Response'

Post-Irene efforts continue in Parsippany, Denville, Dover and Lincoln Park.

Morris County emergency management personnel are in “full response mode,”  Scott DiGiralomo, the county’s director of emergency services, said Monday.

After a weekend-long countywide response to Hurricane Irene, DiGeralomo said personnel were addressing Monday the severe flooding in Lincoln Park, new evacuations of hotel guests and residents in Parsippany and flooded streets in Dover, Pequannock and Denville, for example. 

The county’s emergency management plan was put into effect before the storm hit the state on Saturday. Included in that plan is the emergency information network called MCUrgent, by which residents in 12 county municipalities can access immediate warning notices. Those municipalities are: Chatham, Denville, Dover, Florham Park, Harding, Morris Township, Mount Arlington, Mount Olive, Parsippany, Pequannock, Riverdale and Washington Township.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Trained personnel in those towns can post emergency information about flooding, power outages and emergency shelters, according to Freeholder Margaret Nordstrom. The MCUrgent system was started last year, she said. It was offered to all 39 Morris County municipalities, and several others are planning to train personnel over the next few months.

MCUrgent posts can be viewed on Facebook, Twitter and on the Morris County website.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Freeholder Director Bill Chegwidden said the county called personnel from all its departments, including law enforcement and prosecutor’s office, human services, emergency management and health management.

“We want to be the one that is over-prepared,” he said.

“Their work has been fantastic,” he said. “Some of the people slept on the floor of the communications center between shifts.”

Chegwidden said this type of emergency shows the need for countywide coordination of the response, and the importance of the planned new communications and emergency management center in Parsippany.

“The towns can’t do it alone,” he said.

Chegwidden said the county stepped up over the weekend when it housed 400 residents of Ocean and Camden counties who were unexpectedly directed to Morris County for shelter.

The group, elderly and special needs individuals, had no other place to go, he said.

He praised the efforts of the county’s human services and health management personnel, and doctors and nurses from Morristown Medical Center and Saint Clare’s Health Services, who volunteered to help the out-of-county residents, who were housed at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?