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| Council members Bob Werner, Bruce Gilbert and Peg Ferraro |
Before the storm started, Mateff opened an Emergency Operations Center in Upper Nazareth Township. From this hub, strategically located in the geographic center of the County, officials coordinated what we take for granted - utilities, sheltering and mass care, communication and human services. Between ten to fifteen people have been working around the clock since Monday.
Power
All municipalities were affected. Between 79-84% of the County lost power at some point during the hurricane. Places like Pen Argyl experienced a 100% power outage. At the time of Mateff's report, there still were 59,605 outages, although Met Ed had restored energy to about 6,000 customers that day alone. A fleet was on its way to the Slate Belt as Mateff spoke.
"Tomorrow is a big day for restoration," stated Mateff, who predicted that power should be fully restored by Sunday. Mateff himself is one of those who still has no power at his own residence.
Casualties
One person died during the storm, according to Mateff. He was referring to a Wind Gap teen whose ATV struck a downed tree at the height of the hurricane. Another person was critically injured as a result of burns sustained from a generator.
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| PFC Cochran helped with communication |
Because LANTA kept its fleet off the road for the first two days of the storm, Mateff relied on the National Guard to transport people to and from vital medical appointments. He also used the military to maintain contact with municipal officials in many areas of the County, primarily in the Slate Belt. Communications were completely cut off in the northern tier and "scattered at best" in the middle party of the County. Thanks to the National Guard, as well as amateur HAM operators, County officials were able to respond to local needs.
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| Back-up shelter at Hanover Tp Volunteer Fire Co |
In conjunction with Lehigh County and the American Red Cross, an emergency shelter was established at 2121 City Line Road, where people who had lost power could sleep and have a hot meal. At one point after the storm, 80 people were housed there, "the most we've ever seen." At the time of Mateff's report, there were still 50 people (32 adults and 18 children) at this shelter. But the shelter is being demobilized, and its temporary residents will be transferred to another shelter at Dieruff High School in Allentown or what Mateff calls a "mega shelter" at East Stroudsburg University.
In addition to Lehigh Valley residents, this shelter includes storm victims from Orange County, N.J.
The Red Cross also maintained a back-up shelter, complete with twenty cots, at the Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Company, located near Wegmans. It was never activated.
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| 70 mph gusts snap telephone pole in Nazareth |
Mateff reports that, unlike previous storms, there was little or no flooding. This was confirmed by Bethlehem Township Fire Marshall Stephen Gallagher. But with wind gusts up to 70 mph, there was a tremendous amount of wind damage. Countywide, one property was completely destroyed. Another 63 properties sustained serious damage. Minor damages were reported at another 452 properties. 11,314 businesses or homes were "affected."
Mateff stated that those damaged will likely be eligible for public assistance. Congressman Charlie Dent, along with the entire Pennsylvania delegation to the U.S. House, has requested President Obama to reimburse citizens for costs incurred in preparing for and responding to the storm.
There was little or no damage to public infrastructure. According to Director of Administration Tom Harp, a few exhaust filters flew off the jail's roof, but that was the only damage sustained by the County.
Council member Bruce Gilbert was less lucky. His home in Palmer Township was hit by five pine trees. But he was impressed at how quickly volunteer firefighters responded.
"I blinked my eyes and they were there," Gilbert stated.
Gilbert's experience was repeated in other townships throughout the County.
In Hanover Township, Public Works was able to clear 125 trees from the roads and fixed over 50 signs. Regular leaf collection has been suspended in favor of clearing yard waste and storm debris.
Hurricane Sandy also prompted over forty calls about downed wires and trees to Hanover Township's volunteer firefighters. "It was nothing too serious," stated volunteer EMT Chris Smith. "But it was a long night for sure."
In Bethlehem Township, Fire Marshall Stephen Gallagher reports that volunteer firefighters responded to seventy calls, from downed power lines to trees on homes. "The fire companies did an excellent job," stated Gallagher. He also commended Public Works for keeping the roads open and clear of debris.
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| Black smoke billows from Gracedale generator |
A back-up generator at Gracedale began billowing black smoke on October 31, but was quickly replaced without endangering residents at the County-owned nursing home. The National Guard supplied specialized lighting so the replacement could be made in the evening hours.
Looming Presidential Election
Council members Lamont McClure and Bob Werner seemed most concerned about how Hurricane Sandy would impact the upcoming Presidential Election on November 6. "This is the most important election of ... ever," stated Werner, who worried that people would get frustrated and leave without voting if forced to wait in long lines for paper ballots or for battery-operated machines.
Mateff and Harp assured Werner that contingency plans exist to provide emergency power at each polling place.
Rumor Control
Mateff noted that there are rumors that gas stations are dry, but Mateff claimed this is untrue. He explained that trucks are making deliveries, but many New jersey residents are pulling into the first exit off an Interstate to grab fuel for vehicles and generators. He claimed there are no real fuel shortages. Was This the Biggest Storm?
Was This Our Biggest Storm?
"While it didn't have the public infrastructure damage that we've had with a lot of our flooding events, this reached more people," stated Mateff. "This affected more individual residents of the County than the previous storms... It was a very big event."
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