Politics & Government

$186K Grant to Pay for Sandy-Inspired Generators in Mahwah

Officials say the two new grants will help Mahwah prepare for 'potentially serious' power outages during future weather emergencies.

Mahwah has received a $186K grant from that state that officials say will help the township be more prepared for Superstorm Sandy 2.0.

The grant is from the state’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and will be used to fund two generators in Mahwah, Mayor Bill Laforet confirmed this week. One of the generators will be installed at town hall – which was without power for days during Sandy – and the other at the Nilsen Pump Station.

Though the pump station, which helps regulate water and sewer service to a portion of the township, did not lose power during the hurricane, Laforet said it “easily” could have.

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“We conducted a gap analysis [after the storm] that helped us identify what we did well, and what we need to work on. We didn’t lose power at the Nilsen Station, but we could have, and the results would have been serious.”

According to a letter from the state announcing the grant, 147 towns are receiving $25 million in grants to help fund infrastructure projects that will help prepare them for future disasters. The grant initiative received over 750 requests for funding totaling over $325 million, the letter said.

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

Laforet said the township has already started surveying the two locations to coordinate the installation of he generators.

The town currently has generators at the police station and fire departments. During Sandy, those locations were used as gathering places and charging stations for residents.


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