All Chester Township residents are urged to sign up online for the Smart 911 Emergency Notification System, currently in use county-wide by Morris County, NJ. This is an emergency alert system which allows you to sign up to have emergency information sent to you by home phone, cell phone, text, and/or email, according to your specifications. It is important for our local office of Emergency Management to be able to reach all residents in the event of an emergency, be it weather-related, a natural disaster, chemical spill, or should a lock-down situation be required. Please set up your profile as soon as possible.

This service allows you to sign up to get emergency and community alerts on your cell phone, work phone, text message, e-mail, home phone, and more. You can receive notifications about emergencies that may affect your home, your parents’ home, your workplace, and your child’s school, as long as those locations are within the boundaries of the city or county. Questions- contact Morris County Citizen Alerts at 973-829-8602 or municipal_alerts@co.morris.nj.us.

This registration web site allows residents with special needs and their families, friends and associates an opportunity to provide information to emergency response agencies, so emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency. The information collected here is confidential and will not be available to the public. You can register by clicking here. Any questions please contact Chief Ryan McNamee at 908-879-5514 x851.

JCP&L asks that everyone who has well water or electric life support equipment register with the utility at (800) 662-3115. They will notify registrants with outage info, and of where to get water and ice during an extended outage.

The following items are recommended for your basic disaster supplies kit:

• 3-day supply of non-perishable food; and of water – one gallon of water per person, per day
• Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit and manual
• Sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper)
• Matches and waterproof container
• a whistle
• Extra clothing
• Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils, including a manual can opener
• Photocopies of credit cards and identification cards
• Cash and coins
• Special needs items, such as prescription medications, eyeglasses, contact lens solutions, and hearing aid batteries
• Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers
• Other items to meet your unique family needs

Because we live in a cold climate, you must think about warmth. It is possible that you will not have heat. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies. Be sure to include one complete change of clothing and shoes per person, including:

• jacket or coat
• long pants
• long sleeve shirt
• sturdy shoes
• hat, mittens, and scarf
• sleeping bag or warm blanket (one per person)

Be sure to account for growing children and other family changes. You may want to add some of the items listed to your basic disaster supplies kit depending on the specific needs of your family. We recommend those with special needs register by clicking here, so that the township OEM can plan accordingly.

In-depth information on emergency preparedness can be accessed by clicking here.

For cooking and drinking, have bottled water on hand – one gallon of water per person per day.

For toilet flushing – Chester homes have well and septic. When there is no power, it is not possible to pump water from the well for flushing toilets. Fill a bathtub with water when there is a storm coming with potential to knock out power. This water can be used to flush toilets – simply scoop a bucket of water from the tub and dump it down to toilet to flush.

Do you have an alternate heat source for winter? How long can your family go without electricity? Water? Our entire Township is on well water, so additional water needs to be considered for toilet flushing, washing etc. If you’re able, please install a generator or at least have a portable unit capable of powering your well, furnace, and refrigerator.

JCP&L reminds customers to take precautions when using generators during power outages. Emergency power generators offer an option for customers needing or wanting uninterrupted service. However, to ensure the safety of the home’s occupants as well as that of utility company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming from the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back into the utility lines, creating a hazardous situation for utility workers. See diagram below for generator safety tips.

Click here for generator safety guidelines from the American Red Cross.

JCP&L: Enhanced 24/7 Power Center

JCP&L’s enhanced 24/7 Power Center online outage map displays individual outages, with estimated restoration times.  During major storm events or other emergencies, the outage maps feature a prominent alert with links to outage-related news, safety tips, and additional information such as water and ice distribution locations. For more information about JCP&L’s communication tools, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/connect or JCP&L’s website.

JCP&L customers have four options for reporting power outages:

• Visit facebook.com/JCPandL and click the “Report an Outage” tab
• Sign up for text messaging with us and text “OUT” from your mobile phone
• Visit our 24/7 Power Center on www.jcp-l.com using a smartphone, tablet or laptop
• Call 1-888-LIGHTSS to speak with a representative. To learn more visit www.jcp-l.com/connect+

Important: JCP&L asks that everyone who has well water or electric life support equipment register with the utility at (800) 662-3115. They will notify registrants with outage info, and of where to get water and ice during an extended outage.

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) reminds customers that they need to be aware that individual outages to their homes may require an electrician and inspection before service can be restored.  This document provides information that helps explain what equipment customers may need an electrician to address before restoration can be completed.

Call JCP&L and report any downed power lines. Downed trees that have wires involved are strictly handled by JCPL.

Do not attempt to touch or move wires! Live wires are life threatening. Keep children and pets away from any downed wires.

Call JCP&L and report any downed power lines. Downed trees that have wires involved are strictly handled by JCPL.

Do not attempt to touch or move wires! Live wires are life threatening. Keep children and pets away from any downed wires.