Bay Head Residents Endure Hardship of Power Outage

Bay Head was not spared the ravages of Tropical Storm Isaias. Strong winds knocked down trees and power lines in many parts of New Jersey, and Bay Head was one of the towns hit the worst by the storm. "I have never seen anything like this since Sandy," said longtime resident Willow Downs. "Look at all these huge branches everywhere! We were lucky to escape with our lives." Ms. Downs showed me a pile of twigs that the gardener had raked up. She said some the twigs had almost hit her car.

"Of course, the worst part was the power outages. We had to run our generator for almost three days. Our gas bill will be almost double this month because the electric company took so long to fix things," Downs said. She and other residents plan to take action against JCPL for their failure to respond to the fiasco more quickly. 

Attorney Max Powers, also a Bay Head resident, is putting together a class action lawsuit on behalf of residents who suffered because of JCPL's incompetence. "The people of Bay Head deserve better," said Powers. "There was no need for us to suffer as we did. Enduring the noise of a gas generator for nearly three days is something no one should have to deal with. We intend to sue JCPL for the cost of gas used to run our generators as well as the pain and suffering we had to endure."

Powers says that over fifty residents have already signed on as part of the law suit. He expects many more will join before court papers are filed. 

"This is not about money," said Powers. "While I do expect that JCPL will ultimately settle in the low seven figures, what really matters is that justice is served. Living through a windstorm is difficult enough, but then having to go through the stress of getting your electricity from a different source is unconscionable"

For Willow Downs, the lawsuit offers some comfort. "Nothing can ever make up for those three days," said Downs. "But at least this lawsuit should let these utilities know they can't kick around the little guys."

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