First of all, I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support we have received since the incident occurred Thursday evening. As you may know, the extreme amount of rainfall last week compromised the integrity of the soil on a hillside in the area of Lakeside Drive and Lewis Lane at Mountain Lake. One house was destroyed and another was seriously damaged.
All residents of the immediate area were evacuated. After review by geological technicians, it was determined that the road should remain closed, but residents were able to return to their homes on Friday afternoon.
On Saturday, members of the New Jersey Initial Response Team entered the two homes to retrieve valuable documents and personal belongings. I was very impressed with this group of highly-trained individuals. This is an all-volunteer organization that does not charge for their services. I encourage donations to support their continued operations. Contributions can be mailed to PO Box 2153, Branchville, NJ 07826.
As of Sunday, Lewis Lane and Lakeside Drive remain closed. We understand the natural curiosity associated with this type of situation, but due to safety concerns, only residents of the immediate area are allowed in the area.
For those wishing to assist the residents who were displaced, gift cards to local stores would be greatly appreciated. They can be dropped off at the municipal building on Mountain Lake Road or All American Cycle on Route 46.
It has been a long few days. The amount of time and effort put in by members of the Mountain Lake Fire Company and Ladies Auxilary, Independence First Aid Squad, mutual aid companies, my fellow Committeemembers and local residents can not be explained. There was literally around-the-clock involvement and dedication by these individuals. To Fire Chief Steve Matuszek, I can not thank you enough.
I also want to thank Bob and Kathy Nykun of Nykun's Store, the Schiano Family of Mama's Pizza and all of the individuals who brought food and water to the emergency workers and residents over the weekend. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.
We are collecting contact information from the residents of the immediate area for emergency notification purposes. If you have not submitted your information over the weekend, please do so by calling Diane at the Municipal Building at 637-4579. We will be sending email updates to those residents during the next few days.
Again, I thank you all for your patience and cooperation during this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me anytime.
John Inscho
