When a severe storm knocked out power to 2,600 Berkeley Heights households on July 3, the town faced a brutal combination: a heat index above 100 degrees and some of its most vulnerable residents stuck without air conditioning. Six days later, the lights were back on for everyone — but getting there took police, fire, and neighbors all pulling in the same direction.

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When a fire alarm company told the Villas on the Park HOA that all six fire panels needed replacing, Fire Chief Jim Hopkins stepped in. Drawing on his department's history at the property, he urged the board to get a second opinion first. The panels didn't need replacing at all — a call that saved the complex an estimated $40,000.

Police Chief Frank Mea and Chief Hopkins spent the early days of recovery personally pushing JCP&L to prioritize the township's two senior communities, Park Edge and Woodcrest. Conditions at Park Edge got serious enough that officials weighed evacuating residents before power finally came back Sunday. Business Administrator Liza Viana said Mea barely slept through it. "He would move heaven and earth for our town," she said. For the first 48 hours, he stayed in constant contact with JCP&L, steering crews toward the most urgent addresses.

OEM Coordinator Tony Padovano spotted a home with improperly grounded, exposed live wires and personally walked JCP&L crews to the property to fix it. Officials also flagged a quieter danger during the outage: carbon monoxide risks from Generac whole-home generators, urging residents to keep them at least 20 feet from any house.

Resident Donna Aflalo spent the Fourth of July at Park Edge, shuttling seniors to air conditioning and asking others to prop their doors open so firefighters could check on them — a simple move that helped identify disabled residents needing extra attention. Sue Seto cooked meals for seniors and firefighters throughout the recovery, while other neighbors ran extension cords across yards to share generator power with those still waiting.

The Building Department is prioritizing inspections for homes that lost power lines in the storm; residents needing reconnection can call 908-464-2700, ext. 2120 or 2138. Mayor Angie Devanney has raised the outages with the Governor's Office twice, and the township says it plans further action against JCP&L. Storm-related branch pickup begins the week of July 20; residents with hazardous storm-damaged trees can email [email protected].