JESSUP - Jerry Beilman chomps on a piece of peppermint gum as his hands bounce from one keyboard to the other.
His eyes dart between the nine computer monitors in a half moon formation across his desk, his wrists flicking one of the four mouses that control them all.
It's just after midnight as the senior shift supervisor calls out to one of his dispatchers as a call comes through his headset, recording a location to send emergency responders Tuesday morning.
Ten other dispatchers are sitting in the control center, split into supervisors, a police pod and a fire and ambulance pod. Call tones echo through the room, radio static crackles and dispatchers record information, relaying the calls for help and assistance to police, fire and ambulance departments along with utility providers.
"Anytime we experience a storm like this, whether it be a hurricane or a thunderstorm, this place lights up," said David Hahn , director of the Lackawanna County Department of Emergency Services.
Dispatchers handled about 1,000 calls through early Tuesday morning, everything from downed utility wires and trees, to flooding roads, to a report of a bear wandering around Newton Twp. shortly before 1 a.m.
Call traffic remained steady through 2 a.m., eventually tapering off as Superstorm Sandy weakened her grip.
The dispatch center in Jessup ran smoothly, even in the face of the storm and a loss of power at three call towers. The towers in Carbondale, Covington Twp. and Jefferson Twp. were automatically kick-started with generators, allowing for uninterrupted service during high winds and heavy rains. Those propane-fueled generators can power each tower for up to five days, Mr. Hahn said.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O'Brien and Mr. Hahn commended the dispatchers for the work they did amid the inundation of calls, the challenge of the elements and the long hours.
"It's a very hectic night here, but they're doing a fantastic job - terrific," Mr. Hahn said.
Contact the writer: sullivan@timesshamrock.com, @ksullivantt on Twitter
The calls
A look at the calls to 911 dispatchers broken down by municipality:
Abington Twp.
12:18 a.m.: Trees down at Oakford Road.
1:28: Wire down at 213 Stevenson Road.
Archbald
10:22 p.m.: Trees and wires down at 171 Main St., Eynon.
10:30: Utility pole fire at Main Street and Cougar Road.
11: Tree on wire, tree on fire at 1 Columbus Drive.
11:28: Wires down at 171 South Main St.
Benton Twp.
12:13 a.m.: Tree down at Routes 407 and 438
blakely
6:14 a.m.: Wire down at 504 Union St.
Clarks Summit
8:33 p.m.: Transformer explosion, 1200 W. Grove St.
10:28: Trees and wires down 114 Ren Acres Drive.
10:45: Pieces of metal roof in the road, Old Lackawanna Trail.
10:52: Wires on a roof at 1711 Forest Acres Drive
12:03 a.m.: Wires down at 603 Center St.
2:09: Tree on a house at 525 Summit Ave.
Covington Twp.
11:39 p.m.: Trees down on wires at 25 Buena Vista Drive.
11:48: Wires down at Route 307.
12:39 a.m.: Tree on wires on fire at 1247 Drinker Turnpike
1:46: Tree on wires with arcing at 128 Scranton-Pocono Highway
1:52: Tree on wires at Drinker Turnpike and Skyline Drive
3:20: Tree down on Center Street
4:53: Tree on wires on Evergreen Drive.
6:22: Wire down at Yostville Road.
Dalton
11:47 p.m.: Transformer explosion at Lily Lake Road and First Street
1:54 a.m.: Tree on wires at 345 West Main St.
5:25: Wire down at 1010 N. Lackawanna Trail.
7:31: Wire down at 351 W. Main St.
Dickson City
11:45 p.m.: Trees down at 800 Pancoast St.
11:50: Trees down at 1946 Business Route 6.
12:27 a.m.: Tree down at Storrs and Carmalt streets.
12:30: Utility pole leaning on wires at Elm and Dewey streets.
12:37: Business sign down at Main and Dundaff streets.
Dunmore
9:19 p.m.: Tree on unoccupied vehicle at Adams Avenue and Richmont Street.
10:47: Tree down on Route 435.
11:36: Trees in the road on Interstate 81 North.
11:51: Trees down at Elmhurst Boulevard.
1:43 a.m.: Transformer explosion at 130 Monahan Ave.
7:18: Wire down at 1213 Wheeler Ave.
Glenburn
9:42 p.m.: Trees on wires at 700 Glenburn Road.
11:39: Tree down at 1153 Old Trail Road.
12:13 a.m.: Tree on a house and car at 1121 Harding St.
2:03: Tree on a house at 34 Church Hill Road.
5:17: Trees down on James Avenue and Ford Pond Road.
Gouldsboro
9:33 p.m.: Tree on wires at 169 Fox Farm Road.
10:24: Transformer fire at 477 Main St.
Greenfield Twp.
10:57 p.m.: Tree on wires at Routes 247 and 106.
Jefferson Twp.
7: 01 p.m.: Trees down on wires, pole fire at 12 Lake Louis Drive.
8:19: Trees on wires 1501 Mount Cobb Road.
8:39: Trees and wires down in road, 249 Wimmer Road.
10:44: Tree leaning on a house at 405 Cortez Road.
12:43 a.m.: Wires down at 9 West Interstate 84.
2:23: Trees and wires down at 359 Wimmers Road.
2:35: Utility pole snapped in half Butler Hill Road.
2:51: Utility pole fire at 700 Cliff Drive.
2:51: Tree on wires 61 Pumphouse Road.
6:22: Wire down at Pumphouse Road.
Jermyn
9:30 p.m.: Roof off a house and onto a vehicle at 557 Washington Ave.
Madison twp.
2:27 a.m: Trees and wires down at Aberdeen and Quicktown roads.
Madison Twp.
5:55 a.m.: Pumping detail at 2565 Madisonville Road.
Mayfield
10:34 p.m.: Arcing wires 835 Poplar St.
11:49 p.m.: Arcing wires at 156 Fifth St.
Moosic
8:30 p.m.: 900 block of Orange Street is closed for utility work due to a down power line.
Moscow
8:39 p.m.: Trees down in road, Union Mill Road/VanBrunt Street.
11:38: Tree down, 131 Keene St.
8:23 a.m.: Wire down at 700 Beech St.
Newton Twp.
10:29 p.m.: Wires down at Country Club Road and Elkview Drive.
11:24: Trees and limbs in roadway at Beaver Pond Road and Forest Acre Drive.
11:55: Trees and wires down at 1900 Newton Ransom Blvd
12:41 a.m.: Trees and wires down at 9113 Valley View Drive.
3:26: Wires down, arcing at 1451 Hillside Drive.
Old Forge
10:32 p.m.: Tree down at 293 Moosic Road.
12:15 a.m.: Roof off a building, wires down and arcing at 109 West Mary St.
Olyphant
10:48 p.m.: Arcing wires at 1444 E. Lackawanna Ave.
12:19 a.m.: Trees down at Marshwood Road.
1:20: Tree limbs down at 828 Elm St.
1:57: Roof on a vehicle at 128 Delaware St.
Peckville
9:21 p.m.: Tree on wires 477 Bodnick St.
10:33: Wires down at 722 Pleasant Ave.
10:55: Tree down at 100 Keystone Ave.
10:57: Tree down at 100 Railroad Ave.
Ransom Twp.
7:26 p.m.: Transformer explosion, wires down at 1034 Community Drive.
8:12: Trees down in road at 1027 N. Sekol Ave.
8:15: Wire down at 930 N. Sekol Ave.
Roaring Brook twp.
11:34 p.m.: Transformer explosion at 50 Spencer Road.
2:17 a.m.: Wires down at 1160 Griffin Road.
5:54: Wire down at 104 Ulysses Drive.
7:29: Wire down at 105 Hillcrest Drive.
Scott Twp.
7:15 p.m.: Trees on wires at 100 Novistsky Road.
11:03: Tree down at 96 Kraky Road.
11:06: Utility pole leaning over 175 Rushbrook Road.
12:13 a.m.: Tree down at Shields Road.
2:10: Tree on wires at Heart Lake Road and Still Meadow Road.
Scranton
8:18 p.m.: Trees down in road at 1703 N. Main Ave.
9:35: Trees and wires down at River and Breaker streets.
9:53: 300 Meridian Ave., wires down, PPL on scene, pole in half.
10:19: Utility pole falling over at 400 Loomis Ave.
10:43: Trees and wires down on the 500 block of Wheeler Avenue.
10:52: Arcing wires at Marion Street and Dickson Avenue.
10:59: Tree into a house at 1527 Bulwer St.
11:08: Wires down near 1500 Elizabeth St.
11:16: Wires down at 1219 Wheeler Ave.
11:29: Tree down at 1000 Capouse Ave.
11:29: Arcing at 400 S. Edwards Court.
2:09 a.m.: Metal roof coming apart at 1500 N. Lincoln Ave.
2:10: Tree down at 422 Grace St.
6:20: Wire down at Delaware Street and Capouse Avenue.
6:36: Wire down at 925 Oak St.
6:39: Wire down at 1770 N. Keyser Ave.
South Abington Twp.
8:33 p.m.: Trees on wires at Morgan Highway/Country Club Road.
9:31: Road closed, PPL on scene at 100 Scott Road.
9:36: Trees across the roadway at Ackerly Road and Arch Avenue.
10:03: Tree down across road at 711 N. State St.
11: Tree on wires at 922 Clay Ave.
11:05: Tree down at Edellard and Fairview Road.
1:31 a.m.: Transformer explosion at Noble Road and Winola Road.
Spring Brook Twp.
9:25 p.m.: Tree down in road at O'Hara Road/Route 690
11:02: Tree and utility pole down at 881 Route 397.
2:26 a.m.: Trees down on Swartz Valley Road.
Sterling Twp.
10:20 p.m: Tree down at Spring Hill Road and Route 196.
Taylor
12:05 a.m.: Utility pole down, arcing wires at 189 Village Drive.
12:14: Trees down at Bald Mountain Road.
6:13 a.m.: Wire down at 498 S. Keyser Ave.
7:36: Wire down at 1114 Loomis Ave.
7:57: Wire down at 1406 S. Main St.
Thornhurst Twp.
9:37 p.m.: Transformer fire at 125 River Road.
10:20: Wires down at 236 Pine Grove Road.
11:19: Tree falling over at 159 Bear Lake Road.
12:18 a.m.: Trees down at Bear Lake and Pine Grove roads.
12:35: Tree down at Pine Grove Road.
Throop
11:51 p.m.: Roof of a house at 1002 Ridge St.
Waverly Twp.
8:11 a.m.: Wire down at 105 Lynnwood Drive.