MiddletownJournal.com

More electrical service has been restored in Warren County on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 17, and fewer residents are requesting emergency help.

Matt Haverkos of the Warren County Emergency Management Agency said fewer people are needing to utilize the shelter the American Red Cross set up at the Carlisle Lions Club in Franklin. Volunteers served 192 meals and distributed 19 cases of water on Monday and Tuesday and no one has had to spend the night at the shelter yet. The shelter remains open for any county resident who needs it.

Cell phone services are also being restored. On Tuesday, Sept. 16 there were 110 cell towers out of service in the county; and, on Wednesday that number is 56, according to county officials.

Home City ice is restocking the stores across the county.

Electrical service remains out for about 14,000 Duke Energy customers. The utility brought in 400 extra crews and is promising to get 85 percent of their customers back on the power grid by midnight Thursday.

In Mason, City Manager Eric Hansen said only about 12 streets remain without power or have their lights coming back and then out again. Phone service remains to be an issue, he said.

Hansen said people have been taking advantage of free hot showers and cell phone and laptop recharging service at the Mason Community Center.

One of the bigger issues facing Warren County residents is how to get rid of all the brush and debris Hurricane Ike left in its wake.

Hansen said it could be weeks or up to a month before city crews can collect it all.

"We're asking people to be patient," he said.

It's too early for local governments and insurance companies to estimate the cost of damage and cleanup from Sunday's wind storm, but Peggy Dowrey, owner of Dowrey Stover Insurance in Mason said her office is getting more than 20 calls every 45 to 60 minutes.

"Oh my God yes," she said. "We're swamped."

Most of the claims are for damage to roofs and trees and food spoilage. Dowrey said you can claim food that's spoiled in your freezer as long as you meet the deductible, or the amount of damages above the cost you are responsible for under your insurance policy. Deductible amounts can be $250, or $500 or more, depending on the insurance you purchased.

However, if downed trees didn't hit anything but the ground, you're not usually covered under your insurance policy, Dowrey said.

How well did police, firefighters, utility companies and local governments respond to the wind storm?

Mason Mayor Tom Grossmann said he is pleased with the effort. He said he toured the city Sunday night and estimates four-fifths of the city was without power right after the winds blew through.

"Well that was a weird windstorm, we certainly weren't expecting that." Grossmann said. "The city's been working very hard, getting roads cleared where we can and there isn't interference with power lines. Things are getting back to normal."

Frank Young, director of the Warren County Emergency Management Agency, said he brought in extra dispatchers to handle the volume of 911 calls and coordinated the opening of a shelter for county residents in Franklin with the American Red Cross. He said that, in addition to power outages, the main challenge is to provide drinking water to residents without electricity, especially those with private wells. The biggest need was in the Franklin and Carlisle areas, Young said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 17, Deerfield Twp. Adminstrator Dan Evers said much of Landen, about half of Loveland Park and pockets of Kings Mills remain powerless.

Trustee Dan Corey said he knows the township is working hard to get things back to normal, but he is reserving judgment on performance.

"When you're in the heat of the battle and you hear comments, you might not have a full vested view of what's going on," Corey said. "We might not be hearing the whole story. I want to be careful about saying we're doing a good job, until I know more."