That sinking feeling
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Friday, January 19, 2007
THE RECORD EDITORIAL
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qst ... A2MDE4OQ==
IMAGINE going to sleep in a house that could disappear down a sinkhole by morning. That's what hundreds of frightened people are doing every night in Upper Ringwood, as more and more sinkholes appear in a neighborhood of 48 homes built on top of old iron mines.
This is a public safety emergency and Governor Corzine must hurry to respond. The community is asking for a state takeover of the crisis. That should be done immediately. A state emergency team should also be formed -- as an aide to the governor has proposed -- to handle relocation, evacuation and other safety issues.
As Ringwood Mayor Joanne Atlas wrote to Corzine last month -- before the latest 30-foot-deep sinkhole appeared: "The situation is worsening by the day. It is quickly becoming too much for our small community to handle on our own. We desperately stand in need of outside help."
But the governor's office appears to be taking its sweet time.
The latest sinkholes began appearing two years ago, around the time the cleanup of the toxic Ford Superfund site was resumed. The state has already provided almost half a million dollars to repair some of the sinkholes and map out where others might appear. The grants are not enough.
A community meeting with state officials was held in December, but the residents have now been waiting more than a month for the state to get back to them on their request for an emergency plan. The governor's office says it is reviewing that request.
The time for foot-dragging and delays is over. This is a dangerous situation, a disaster waiting to happen. The people in this area have already lived for decades with the terrible effects of poisonous dumping by Ford.
The sinkholes are another nightmare. The state should wake up and act.
Reprinted with permission from The Record,
www.therecord.com.