Workers dislocated by Hurricane Irene may be eligible for a temporary employment program, the county announced Thursday. Bergen County’s Disaster Relief Employment Program hires individuals for six months to assist with countywide disaster relief and clean-up projects that provide food, clothing and shelter to disaster victims. Workers who have been temporarily or permanently dislocated as a result of the disaster and are not receiving unemployment compensation or other types of income support are eligible. Long-term unemployed individuals, historically defined as those out of work for more …
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has opened a State Disaster Recovery Center for Bergen County residents who suffered losses and damges from Hurricane Irene. The center, located in on the 4th Floor of One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack, will be in operation seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., until further notice. County officials said residents will have access to face-to-face assistance as well as valuable information about various state and federal programs, and will be able to inquire about the status of their application, and receive referrals to voluntary …
Hurricane Irene struck the state last week, and dealt catastrophic, and sometimes fatal damage to communities across New Jersey. In Lawrence, rescuers found the body of a man on Tuesday who was sucked down a manhole. Cesar Ortiz, 50, was trying to clear floodwater from his landscaping supply company. Princeton EMT Michael Kenwood was laid to rest in Paramus on Wednesday after he was killed during an attempted water rescue during Hurricane Irene. First responders from across the state paid tribute to Kenwood, an East Windsor resident. Kenwood died in Princeton, while he and another EMT were …
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is warning residents to beware of shady businesses and vendors showing up in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Neal Buccino, a spokesman with the division, said there already have been 46 reports of price gouging since the storm—on items including bottled water, gasoline and hotel rooms. He said there's been no reports of home repair or charity scams yet. Buccino said his division has investigated 23 of the cases and none had broken the law, but the investigation is continuing, "While they have found some high prices … the cases we've fully investigated …
A Friday morning power outage impacting Teaneck and other nearby towns is being blamed on an “animal contact,” according to a Public Service Electric & Gas spokeswoman. A squirrel came in contact with live wires on Pennington Road in town, causing sections of Teaneck, Leonia and Bogota to lose power, utility spokeswoman Deann Muzikar said in an email. Up to 5,000 customers were without power at around 10 a.m., according to the PSE&G outage map. That number has since dropped to up to 500 in Teaneck and none in Leonia or Bogota. Traffic lights at busy intersections, including Queen Anne Road …
Disaster recovery and health officials said residents in flood-damaged homes should begin cleanup as soon as it is safe to re-enter their houses because mold can create serious health problems. “Taking the time to clean thoroughly before mold grows is the most important preventive step a homeowner can take,” said Federal Emergency Management Agency Federal Coordinating Officer, Bill Vogel. “Just because the basement has dried out doesn’t mean there can’t be trouble lurking down the road.” Care must be taken to clean and completely dry any areas of the home that have gotten wet from …
How did Irene impact you? Post your storm stories in the comments below. Click to read the full coverage from the storm.
Teaneck is one of several Bergen County towns that should expect brief power outages as PSE&G continues to restore electricity to the area, authorities said. PSE&G informed New Milford officials on Wednesday that residents can expect "temporary service disruptions" over the next few days. "They are conducting rolling load shedding to prevent circuits from overheating," said New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro. "The disruption in services will be brief and no more than an hour or two in duration." In addition to Teaneck, Papapietro said residents of New Milford, Hillsdale, Dumont and …
PSE&G asked residents in Teaneck, New Milford, Dumont, Hillsdale and Bergenfield to cut back on power use over the next three days while repairs are done, according to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. "In order to make repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Irene, PSE&G is asking that all customers reduce power consumption. Please limit the use of air conditioners and all non-essential electric devices during the next 72 hours," a statement released by the NJ OEM said. As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, PSE&G reported 2,000 to 5,000 customers without power in Teaneck. Some of the outages …
Updated 12:30 p.m. Tuesday: Teaneck firefighters responded to more than 338 calls related to Hurricane Irene through noon Tuesday, including fires, gas leaks and car crashes, according to the fire chief. “There were several fires and near fires, that were successfully extinguished due to the rapid response of the Fire Department,” Fire Chief Anthony Verley said in a press release. Among the more serious calls firefighters handled were two car crashes. In one, a woman drove into a utility pole at Queen Anne Road and West Englewood Avenue, bringing down live wires. “We also had a vehicle drive …
County leaders took to the streets Monday to talk with weary residents and begin assessing the scope of Irene’s destruction, as some Bergen towns braced for more flooding and thousands remained without power across the area. Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, emergency management head Dwane Razzetti and county freeholders toured hard-hit areas in Lyndurst, Rutherford, Fair Lawn, Lodi and Hillsdale. They were met by frustrated and angry residents along the way, most notably in Lyndhurst, which has seen perhaps the worst flooding in its history. “I can’t stay in my house and I have a …
Irene battered Teaneck Sunday, taking down trees and causing flooding around town. The town suffered widespread power outages and several major roads were closed. Click to read the latest update on the storm.
Even as Irene moved out of the area, Bergen County officials warned of rising waters and the possibility of heavy flooding through Monday. A flood warning remained in effect for the area until Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. Flood waters were being blamed for knocking out power to several Bergen towns. A power substation in Hillsdale was "underwater,” said Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff in the county executive’s office. The substation flood brought down power in towns including Ho-Ho-Kus, Washington Township, Old Tappan, Paramus and Ridgewood, Baratta. Another …
The tornado watch has been lifted, but Hurricane Irene's onslaught continues throughout the Jersey Shore on Sunday. Damaging winds and heavy rains associated with the storm eventually led to thousands of customers being left without electricity in Monmouth and Ocean counties. As of about 3 a.m., there were nearly 50,000 JCP&L customers without power in Monmouth and 22,000 without power in Ocean, plus at least 12,000 Atlantic City Electric customers in Ocean without power as well. Officials said to expect those numbers to rise significantly as the most powerful part of the storm moved though …
North Jersey residents are expected to wake up Sunday to an angry Irene pounding on their door. As powerful Irene tore her way up the eastern seaboard Saturday, residents from Cape May to Mahwah prepared for what could be the worst storm to hit the state in 50 years. “The tracking of the storm is ominous for New Jersey,” Gov. Chris Christie warned residents during an afternoon briefing. Evidence of the dire predictions surrounding Irene was easy to see around Bergen and Passaic counties, as worried residents swarmed gas stations, supermarkets and any place that sells batteries. Sunday …
Some of the state's most hazardous facilities and toxic sites are located in flood-prone or low-lying areas, putting them at considerable risk to Hurricane Irene's wrath, the NJ Sierra Club said Friday. "We are concerned that many important parts of our infrastructure as well as many hazardous sites are in harm’s way," Sierra Club head Jeff Tittel said. "This hurricane could do a tremendous amount of damage to critical infrastructure and hazardous sites and facilities. This could be a natural disaster with the potential to be an environmental disaster as well." The group said that millions of…
Forecasters said Friday that Irene could be the most damaging hurricane to hit the east coast since Hazel in 1954. That prediction added to the grim picture AccuWeather forecasters painted on Thursday, as they called for 80 mph winds and up to a foot of rain as the storm's eyewall passes close to Manhattan. There was, however, a glimmer of hope from the National Weather Service, which lowered its rainfall and wind projections overnight. The NWS is now calling for between five and seven inches of rain for North Jersey and winds reaching 47mph. Flooding could be intensified, however, as New …
Click here to get the Patch App for free on iTunes.
