O&R lights up gauge

Delaware flood marker now visible at all hours MATAMORAS — As part of an upgrade to its electric system serving a riverside neighborhood in Port Jervis, N.Y., O&R took some steps recently that will make life much easier for emergency preparedness managers during the spring flood season. While conducting the upgrade to improve electric service reliability along Second Street, O&R installed an overhead streetlight at the end of the circuit serving the neighborhood. That streetlight shines on the depth gauge painted on the side of the Port Jervis-Matamoras Bridge spanning the Delaware River. O&R provides electric service to Port Jervis as Orange & Rockland and to Matamoras as Pike County Light & Power Co. This gauge is key to first-responder operations in both New York and Pennsylvania during spring flood season. Emergency preparedness managers in both states keep a sharp eye on the gauge to plan their operations from the evacuation of low-lying riverside areas to road closings to activation and deployment of emergency services personnel. Until this light was installed, typically during night-time hours emergency preparedness managers either waited for first light to view the marker or shined a spotlight from high on the riverbank to see the markings etched into the bridge. Barry Short, the Public Affairs Manager for Pike County Light and Power Company, said, “This new light is a win-win for our customers who live along the Delaware in two states. The most important data during a river flooding emergency is timely, accurate information about the status of the river. This new light helps make that critical information more fully available faster and easier to the right people who know how to use it best.”