By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – The tornado was over in minutes, while Tropical Storm Isaias lasted a large portion of the day. But in the aftermath of each, the cleanup and tallying the damage will take far longer.
So will the congratulations.
At the Aug. 10 Township Committee meeting, officials lavished praise on the emergency teams that responded to the severe weather just under a week earlier. Along with most of the region, Upper Township experienced high winds through the day as the tropical storm moved north.
Early in the day, a little before 10 a.m., a tornado spun off from the storm slammed residences and businesses in the township. According to the Marmora Volunteer Fire Company, it began as a waterspout before moving onto land, crossing the marsh and cutting across the Garden State Parkway.
With winds of over 100 mph, the tornado cut a path of destruction of more than five miles, with the damage still visible in Marmora. Officials say they could not remember the last time Upper Township experienced a tornado.
“It’s something we are not familiar with in our area and I hope that we never see again,” said township Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Morgan, who is also the township administrator.
At the Township Committee meeting, officials discussed the long process ahead to clean up the tree limbs and other storm damage, and Morgan said work continued on assessing the total cost of the damage.
But at the meeting, both Morgan and the elected committee members spent more time praising the efforts of emergency responders during and after the storm.
Committeeman John Coggins said the day saw cascading events, and said he wanted to recognize the outstanding job done by emergency crews.
“I just can’t express what a tremendous job was done; how well the public was taken care of in that situation,” he said. He suggested residents offer a thank you or a pat on the back to firefighters and other first responders when they see them.
The storm did extensive damage to several businesses and homes. Committeeman Ed Barr said the township was extremely fortunate a campground did not take a direct hit from the tornado, saying there would have almost certainly been casualties if that happened.
As it was, the twister skirted the edge of the campground, but did pass over a mobile home park, damaging some homes to the point where they could not be occupied. But no injuries were reported. Barr said the training of the responding fire crews and EMS personnel showed.
“I just want to say they did a hell of a job,” he said, adding that they are all volunteers. “To have people of that caliber, we’re very fortunate.”
He singled out Steve Schaffer, the chief of the Seaville Fire and Rescue company, who served as the incident commander. According to Barr, Schaffer performed admirably.
Each of the elected officials congratulated the emergency crews. According to Morgan, each of the township’s volunteer fire companies responded, while Ocean City’s fire department also provided mutual aid. State Police, the Upper Township Rescue Squad and the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management and the county’s Regional Urban Search Team, or RUST, responded.
Officials also praised the township public works crews, who were faced with the daunting cleanup afterward. Committeeman Hobie Young said they and emergency crews did a fantastic job.
“I’ve heard nothing but compliments,” he said, adding that a piece of equipment with a mechanical arm that was being used to collect debris had already paid for itself.
Morgan asked property owners not to pile tree limbs or other debris on top of or near utility boxes, so they would not be damaged by that mechanical arm. He said crews were hard at work, but still needed to attend to their regular duties. Barr asked residents for understanding.
“The main thing is be patient. We will get to you eventually,” he said.
“As long as it’s debris and as long as it’s associated with the storm, it will be collected,” Morgan said.
He also praised the efforts of the township clerk and the township engineer in the storm, the American Red Cross and the utility crews who worked to restore power and communication to thousands of residents.
At the height of the storm, 39,000 homes in the area were without power, he said. Crews working through the night restored many of those connections, but severe thunderstorms on Friday brought the number of homes without power back up to 9,000.
Morgan said the township is tracking storm-related expenses. If the storm is declared a disaster, the township may be able to recoup some of those expenses.