Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • December 5, 2012 Ho-Ho-Kus Borough using technology to keep residents posted by Jennifer Crusco After superstorm Sandy tore through New Jersey on Oct. 29, many residents were left without electricity and land line telephones. Ho-Ho-Kus was no exception. The borough, however, quickly latched on to the use of social media in an attempt to keep residents updated thanks to an initiative by Councilman Steve Shell. Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall thanked Shell for his help during and after the hurricane, saying the councilman had been instrumental in getting information out via Facebook. Randall pointed out that the borough’s Swiftreach emergency phone system was working well before the storm, but was not an effective means of communication afterward. He praised the borough’s use of new methods of communication, which do not require land line telephones or electricity. Commenting on the situation at last week’s council meeting, Shell reported that Ho-Ho-Kus now has a Facebook page, which he developed with his teenage daughter, Allie. Shell explained that he took a lesson from Allie, who, despite the poststorm lack of power and land line phones, was able to remain connected to her friends through social media. In order to receive information from the new Ho-Ho-Kus Facebook page, individuals are invited to go online, visit Facebook, and “like” the borough’s page. “It’s not an account; it’s just a page,” Shell said. As of last week, Shell said the page had received 54 “likes,” some of which had come from former borough residents. He acknowledged that the page had been launched during the hurricane’s aftermath, so there were not many hits at first. However, he said the goal is to use the page to disseminate vital information and messages of interest. He encouraged additional residents to go online and “like” the page. After the meeting, Shell told Villadom TIMES he had consulted with Mayor Randall and Councilman Kevin Shea regarding the Facebook concept, and Shell agreed to carry out the concept. In early November, the councilman and his daughter created the page at a coffee shop in Ridgewood that had power after the storm. The two scoured the Internet for appropriate images to use on the page, including a post card from the 1960s. “We will use the page for many things,” Shell said. “It will complement our other means of communication.” The Ho-Ho-Kus Facebook page is being administered by Ruthanne Frank, who is the borough’s Webmaster. She will manage the Facebook postings and content as she does for the borough website, Shell added. During the council session, Mayor Randall stated that he wants the governing body to consider approving the use of the Nixle. com service, which Shell described. According to Shell, Nixle.com is a service that is available free of charge to municipalities and residents. The service, he said, allows e-mails and texts to go out to those who enroll. The councilman explained that, in order to sign up, one needs to visit the Nixle.com website and provide an e-mail address, a cell phone number, and zip codes for the areas from which one wishes to hear reports. Shell said all departments, the Community Emergency Response Team, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Office of Emergency Management could provide important updates through this service. These new uses of technology to circulate information in Ho-Ho-Kus follow on the heels of the police department’s recent decision to use Twitter to provide updates to residents. The police department’s link to Twitter may be found at www.ho-hokuspolice.com. The department’s messages cover various non-emergency situations, such as road closings and delayed school openings. Emergency information and other situations that affect the community will still be disseminated via Reverse 911. Auxiliary power During superstorm Sandy and its aftermath, members of the Ho-Ho-Kus Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary mobilized to prepare hot meals for many borough residents who lost power, as well as for fire department personnel and CERT staff. Auxiliary members logged approximately 431 hours in an effort that provided dinner for 545 people and breakfast and lunch to another 155 people at the town’s emergency shelter. Pictured are Auxiliary members Carol Rosazza, Teresa Dench, Pam Menzel, Arline Dench, Sue Daly, and Leann Surz. The auxiliary thanks all of the Ho-Ho-Kus residents and businesses who donated food and drinks to this effort. Food was served at the shelter, which was being run by CERT.