Dear Editor:
Recently Housing Authority residents lost water for nearly 48 hours, and the City did not respond nearly as effectively as we should have in this emergency situation. I regret the miscommunication that occurred, and left the residents without a source of water for cooking or drinking for such a long period of time.
As a result of this crisis, I worked to make sure that my Administration fully understood the urgency of providing a source of water when residents lose water for an extended period of time.
This week, when there was another water main break in the Housing Authority, we promptly coordinated with the County OEM Dept. to provide a water truck, known as a “water buffalo,” that contains 3,200 gallons of water for residents to use for cooking and drinking. I want to thank the County OEM Dep., Hoboken OEM, and our Public Safety Director for ensuring the well being of Housing Authority residents. I also want to thank Councilwoman Mason and Judge Kimberly Glatt who both brought bottled water to Housing Authority residents.
In the near future, we hope to have our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in place so that volunteers can be on site to help deliver water to seniors and other residents in need. Our 7-week training program for the CERT program will begin soon, so anyone interested in volunteering to help your neighbors in need during crisis situations is encouraged to find out more by calling our OEM Dept. at (201) 420-5618 or emailing certteam@hobokennj.org.
Next Tuesday, Hoboken faces another serious issue. A group whose sole purpose is to spread intolerance and hate plans to protest in front of City Hall and the United Synagogue of Hoboken. As Acting Mayor, I am encouraging all City employees and Hoboken residents to stay completely away from these protests.
Unfortunately we cannot stop this group from coming to Hoboken, but together we must send a message that we will not engage on any level with an organization that is beneath contempt and not worthy of our attention or the attention of the media.
I want to thank our Police Chief and the Police in advance for their stepped up security planning and protection of us during this unfortunate situation in our town.
Hoboken is a wonderful community filled with tolerant and caring residents. Let’s stand together and give no attention to the hateful messages that may be brought to our community by a despicable organization desperately seeking media attention.
Thank you.
Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer