This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Summit Unbroken by Hurricane Irene

Many hours were devoted to the implementation and execution of the city's preparedness plan.

Dear Summit Friends and Neighbors, 

The name Irene and the weather she brought with her will be recorded in history and in our memories as a once-in-a-lifetime event. Dire and downright scary forecasts ushered in the August 27-28, 2011 weekend for millions along the Eastern seaboard. 

Those forecasts proved true as Irene came ashore and battered everything in her path, including our beloved city of Summit.  For nearly 18 hours, as more than 90 trees fell along with an untold number of power lines, flooded basements and blocked roadways, Irene’s strong winds and torrential rains left us battered, drenched, and, in many, homes powerless.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But thanks to our dedicated City officials and employees, including Police, Fire and Public Works and our dedicated Volunteer Rescue Squad - all serving as first responders –  Summit was unbroken.

Their spirit, resolve, commitment and professionalism, working round-the-clock, responding to hundreds of emergency calls from distressed citizens, made them true heroes in our eyes.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And a special note of praise to the men and women of the Department of Public Works who work behind the scenes day in and day out to insure the integrity of Summit’s essential infra-structure.  Without their extraordinary efforts this weekend, Summit would have experienced even greater disruption and damage.

Even today,  city employees continue the work to restore Summit back to normalcy.

What many residents don’t realize is that days before Irene was scheduled to hit Summit, our City Administrator led the Emergency Management Team to plot out the City’s preparedness. 

Many hours were devoted to the implementation and execution of this carefully devised plan.  We believe that the plan served Summit and its citizens well, protecting property to the extent possible, and most importantly, the lives of our residents.  We know that nearly everyone in town was made safer by the actions of our  employees. 

From our City Administrator, to our department heads, to our police, fire and public works personnel, we offer you a heartfelt thank you, on behalf of the residents of Summit, for all you have done to protect us and to restore the beauty and character to our great city. Each of you has truly gone above and beyond the call of duty.

With our utmost gratitude and respect,

Mayor Jordan Glatt

Councilman At Large and Chair, Public Works, Steve Murphy

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?