Community Corner

Fort Lee Buys $10,000 Worth of Radios

The borough dropped the cash — along with another $10,000 for maintenance of an AM radio frequency — to ensure residents don't get stuck in the dark during emergencies like Hurricane Sandy.

Fort Lee is the proud papa of... 250 hand crank radios.

After Hurricane Sandy cut power last year for millions in the northeast, the borough decided to seek a private donation of $10,000 and purchase 250 emergency radios, which can be powered by electricity, battery and hand crank. 

"Since Hurricane Sandy, Fort Lee government has devoted substantial time and effort on ways to ensure the safety of our residents, especially during times of crisis," Mayor Mark Sokolich said last week. "The lack of telephone service, lack of internet service, and state-wide power outages made it virtually impossible for government to properly communicate with the public.

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"The inability to communicate with the public, especially seniors and residents with special needs, which confronted the East Coast will no longer be the case for Fort Lee residents," Sokolich said.

The radios are expected to be distributed to public buildings and areas within the borough where people are likely to gather during an emergency. Locations could include “the community center, recreation center, library, borough hall, and lobbies and meeting rooms at large residential complexes,” according to borough officials. 

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

The borough also unveiled AM 1630 on June 6, a radio frequency band it purchased more than a decade ago to broadcast traffic conditions, Sokolich told NorthJersey.com, but the plan apparently never materialized and the borough recently spent an additional $10,000 to improve the technology.

"After Hurricane Sandy, a determination was made that communication with our residents, especially the seniors and those with special needs, was and remains to be of paramount importance," said Borough Council President Ila Kasofsky. "Our new Emergency Station and the distribution of 250 emergency radios will go a long way in allowing government to assist and provide critical and essential information in times of crisis."

Get cranking, Fort Lee.


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