Sandy a 'Disaster' for East Hanover, Mayor Says

Tropical Storm Sandy was bad enough for the residents of East Hanover, Mayor Joseph Pannullo said.

But the house fire and diesel fuel spill in town, on top of numerous residents who went without power or heat for days, taxed police, firemen, first aid squad members, OEM team members, CERT members and the mayor and council.

"The emergency of Hurricane Sandy is now officially over," Pannullo said, but not without seeing hardship and "tireless effort" by the entire town.

Pannullo, and each councilman in their turn, thanked the volunteers, staff members and residents for their hard work and patience during and after the storm.

Pannullo also specifically thanked East Hanover Township Schools Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca, who, he said, was there for every meeting and was responsible for getting East Hanover Middle School turned into an overnight shelter with cots, food, WiFi and charging stations for residents.

"Every once in a while, you have to remind people of what actually took place," Panullo said. "Many tireless hours were put in" by the council, he said, "and we are truly a team. ... What we did in this storm will be provem many, many times over how far ahead we were of other towns."

The biggest liability in the storm's aftermath was JCP&L, according to Pannullo. "We have an inferior utility company in Jersey Central Power and Light," he said. "They cannot deliver what this township and this state need."

Residents also took it in turn to thank Pannullo, who published his personal cell phone number for residents to call and spent most of the two weeks since the storm away from his own family and home, which was without power until Sunday.

One resident asked about price gouging at a local gas station. Pannullo said he was aware of the allegation of price gouging and the incident had been reported to the state's Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees such instances.