Monday, April 18, 2005
Thirsting For Answers
On April 8 a water main break in Bound Brook left thousands of Middlesex, Somerset and Union county residents high and dry with nary a drop to drink.
After just having completed participating in a week-long Homeland Security Department preparedness drill process including bio terrorism scenarios, one would have thought these counties and townships within them would have been prepared to respond to anything up to and including an impending Apocalypse- with a simple break in a water line being the least of all possible predicaments.
Apparently, though, the potential threat of national bio terrorism has nothing on responding to a breakdown in aging regional infrastructure, including water lines. As thousands of gallons of fresh drinking water flowed out into the Raritan River rather than through tap lines, thousands of Central Jersey residents suddenly found themselves thirsting for a commonplace item which had abruptly become a scare commodity- among these being parched Piscatawayans.
Within minutes of the drought, the Piscataway Police Department found itself inundated with calls from residents to the point of which those answering them quickly found themselves to be in over their heads. Fingers pressed to the dam, dispatchers hurriedly informed individuals the problem was county-wide before hanging up and moving on to the next call.
Riding a wave of questions, residents, many of whom were just returning from work only to find themselves without water to make dinner or bath their kids, were forced to do their own surfing to get further information- turning to evening New York TV news programs or local radio stations, eventually learning about the break. Adding to the rising flood of concerns, many reports stated water service might not be restored til the following morning.
Paniced Piscatawayans, along with thousands of Middlesex county residents, poured into local supermarkets quickly draining the bottled water supply in numerous stores, not knowing how much water they might need to sustain themselves over an unspecified period of time. Bubbling underneath the surface of these fears was the utter and total lack of communication between township officials and residents.
While news reports told of county OEM actions including bringing in tankers to various staging areas to supply water in place of the now dry hydrants in case of fire, there was no word or direction as to what actions would be taken to likewise supply residents with this needed essential. Residents could only reasonably ration what they had.
Miraculously, after hours of watching and waiting without a word officials or the police department, water was finally restored shortly before 9 p.m. Wallowing in this unexpected landfall however, residents might not have been aware of the need to boil this water before using it for potable purposes.
Not once during this whole time did any resident receive a reverse 911 call notifying them of the break, officials response to it, or what actions they themselves should take during or after this crisis. This was because it was never used- even though one police official stated this would have been the “perfect” situation to use this system costing thousands of taxpayer dollars to install and currently only used prior to snowstorms to tell residents to get their cars off the streets- not exactly the dire emergency purpose for which it was supposedly purchased at so costly a price.
To add insult to this injury of deafening silence, it was later learned some township occupants were notified of the break very early on during the crisis- its commercial establishments, particularly restaurants and food preparation facilities. While admirable, this also begs the obvious questions why the township’s own taxpaying residents weren’t likewise notified and why commercial establishments are placed on a higher platitude than those who live here?
To township officials credit, but also perhaps very deeply and morally and ethically troubling in some respects, some ‘special needs’ residents were not only notified of the water break, but provided with fresh water via special tanker trucks. Who were these special residents? Those residing in Stirling Village and the Parker Nursing Home. While some of the residents in these facilities might have more of a valid need for fresh water medical purposes, there are unquestionably hundreds of elderly and medically compromised Piscataway residents living in the township itself who would likewise have loved to have had this special privileged treatment too- (among with those with small children no doubt). Take special note: in the next such crisis these special facilities will have water.
Based on lack of response in this past crisis, one can only conclude residents will likewise be high and dry in any future emergency, left to fend for themselves and be as self-sufficient as possible. This would be fine were it not for the fact that Piscataway has both an expensive and ironically completely worthless reverse 911 system as well as township officials who are both paid and obligated to take the lead in a crisis. In short, if neither are useful in crisis they should both be replaced.
Cheryl Orson
After just having completed participating in a week-long Homeland Security Department preparedness drill process including bio terrorism scenarios, one would have thought these counties and townships within them would have been prepared to respond to anything up to and including an impending Apocalypse- with a simple break in a water line being the least of all possible predicaments.
Apparently, though, the potential threat of national bio terrorism has nothing on responding to a breakdown in aging regional infrastructure, including water lines. As thousands of gallons of fresh drinking water flowed out into the Raritan River rather than through tap lines, thousands of Central Jersey residents suddenly found themselves thirsting for a commonplace item which had abruptly become a scare commodity- among these being parched Piscatawayans.
Within minutes of the drought, the Piscataway Police Department found itself inundated with calls from residents to the point of which those answering them quickly found themselves to be in over their heads. Fingers pressed to the dam, dispatchers hurriedly informed individuals the problem was county-wide before hanging up and moving on to the next call.
Riding a wave of questions, residents, many of whom were just returning from work only to find themselves without water to make dinner or bath their kids, were forced to do their own surfing to get further information- turning to evening New York TV news programs or local radio stations, eventually learning about the break. Adding to the rising flood of concerns, many reports stated water service might not be restored til the following morning.
Paniced Piscatawayans, along with thousands of Middlesex county residents, poured into local supermarkets quickly draining the bottled water supply in numerous stores, not knowing how much water they might need to sustain themselves over an unspecified period of time. Bubbling underneath the surface of these fears was the utter and total lack of communication between township officials and residents.
While news reports told of county OEM actions including bringing in tankers to various staging areas to supply water in place of the now dry hydrants in case of fire, there was no word or direction as to what actions would be taken to likewise supply residents with this needed essential. Residents could only reasonably ration what they had.
Miraculously, after hours of watching and waiting without a word officials or the police department, water was finally restored shortly before 9 p.m. Wallowing in this unexpected landfall however, residents might not have been aware of the need to boil this water before using it for potable purposes.
Not once during this whole time did any resident receive a reverse 911 call notifying them of the break, officials response to it, or what actions they themselves should take during or after this crisis. This was because it was never used- even though one police official stated this would have been the “perfect” situation to use this system costing thousands of taxpayer dollars to install and currently only used prior to snowstorms to tell residents to get their cars off the streets- not exactly the dire emergency purpose for which it was supposedly purchased at so costly a price.
To add insult to this injury of deafening silence, it was later learned some township occupants were notified of the break very early on during the crisis- its commercial establishments, particularly restaurants and food preparation facilities. While admirable, this also begs the obvious questions why the township’s own taxpaying residents weren’t likewise notified and why commercial establishments are placed on a higher platitude than those who live here?
To township officials credit, but also perhaps very deeply and morally and ethically troubling in some respects, some ‘special needs’ residents were not only notified of the water break, but provided with fresh water via special tanker trucks. Who were these special residents? Those residing in Stirling Village and the Parker Nursing Home. While some of the residents in these facilities might have more of a valid need for fresh water medical purposes, there are unquestionably hundreds of elderly and medically compromised Piscataway residents living in the township itself who would likewise have loved to have had this special privileged treatment too- (among with those with small children no doubt). Take special note: in the next such crisis these special facilities will have water.
Based on lack of response in this past crisis, one can only conclude residents will likewise be high and dry in any future emergency, left to fend for themselves and be as self-sufficient as possible. This would be fine were it not for the fact that Piscataway has both an expensive and ironically completely worthless reverse 911 system as well as township officials who are both paid and obligated to take the lead in a crisis. In short, if neither are useful in crisis they should both be replaced.
Cheryl Orson
Mayor Cracks Jokes While Others Thirst For Water
It's nice to know that Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler prefers to crack jokes than behave like a leader. According to a Star Ledger article recapping last week's water main burst in Middlesex County, Wahler stood by a water truck and cracked jokes about kids not having to take their nightly baths. Only a fraction of a percent of Piscataway residents knew this water truck was available to them while 99% of us had no idea where to get water to feed our families.
Mayor Wahler should've behaved like a leader and activated the reverse-911 system to call Piscataway's residents to let them know where to get clean water for drinking and cooking.
Residents in Bound Brook were updated about the situation because emergency vehicles drove through neighborhoods and used their PA systems to give news in English and Spanish. When asked at the last Town Council Meeting why Piscataway didn't utilize their emergency workers and vehicles in such a manner, Council President Jim Huben remarked that that's not making good use of their time.
What's the point in having an expensive reverse 911 system if you're not going to use it in an emergency? If other municipalities realize that an interruption in water service is an emergency, why doesn't Piscataway's leaders?
Joe Schilp
Mayor Wahler should've behaved like a leader and activated the reverse-911 system to call Piscataway's residents to let them know where to get clean water for drinking and cooking.
Residents in Bound Brook were updated about the situation because emergency vehicles drove through neighborhoods and used their PA systems to give news in English and Spanish. When asked at the last Town Council Meeting why Piscataway didn't utilize their emergency workers and vehicles in such a manner, Council President Jim Huben remarked that that's not making good use of their time.
What's the point in having an expensive reverse 911 system if you're not going to use it in an emergency? If other municipalities realize that an interruption in water service is an emergency, why doesn't Piscataway's leaders?
Joe Schilp
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