Sandy 'Destruction Seems Never Ending,' Mayor Says

After missing eight straight days of school, Parsippany students will have to wait a little longer Thursday morning before returning to the classroom.

Wednesday night's nor'easter caused a two-hour delayed opening for all Parsippany schools on Thursday.

Schools had been closed the past two weeks in the aftermath of Sandy, which caused widespread outages to thousands, downed trees and power lines and damaged structures.

"As I assess each section of our town, the destruction seems never ending," Mayor James Barberio said in a statement.

"I know many residents have been, and continue to be, challenged with trees covering our roadways, days without power and long gas lines, but I couldn’t be prouder than to be the Mayor of town whose residents, businesses, volunteer organizations, first responders and employees coordinated efforts to help rebuild our infrastructure and spirit."

Parsippany has opened warming/charging centers as well as a temporary 24/7 shelter setup at Lake Hiawatha and Parsippany high schools, the statement said. Once power was restored to the Parsippany Community Center, 24/7 shelter operations were transferred to the center where resources could be better managed, the statement said.

Nearly 1,500 residents have visited the township’s warming/charging centers and up to 19 residents per night have sought overnight accommodations at the township’s shelter, according to the statement.

“Residents want to believe that JCP&L is putting forth their best effort; however, the lack of communication greatly impedes their perception of progress,” Barberio said.

The mayor said that only recently has JCP&L provided current work location and approximate time of completion. Barberio said better communication would have alleviated some of the confusion and frustration residents have experienced.

According to Barberio, 17,000 homes and businesses have had their power restored. However, more than 3,000 township customers remained in the dark on Wednesday.

Barberio also said Halloween celebrations should be moved to Saturday, Nov. 10.

"I know that celebrating Halloween may not be a priority to many of you right now given the fact that so many are still experiencing power outages," the mayor said.

"But it is in times like these that we cannot forget our children. They have been hurting also and this is one holiday that they look forward to," he said.