Politics & Government

Middletown Mayor: Nor'easter May Cause Flooding at 3:30 am High Tide

No evacuation orders will be issued, said Scharfenberger Wednesday afternoon

Middletown's Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger says the township's biggest concern heading into Wednesday night's nor'easter -- after the welfare of its residents --will be the potential for moderate to severe flooding in the middle of the night. 

"The tide we are really concerned with is at 3:30 a.m. Thursday, when the bulk of the rain is supposed to hit," said the mayor in an interview Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rainfall may swell storm drains, creeks, and other waterways the mayor said. "We're going to be monitoring it." 

Members of the public works and police department will be keeping an eye on the situation on tours in flood-prone areas in low-lying places such as North Middletown, Port Monmouth, Belford and Leonardo. 

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In preparation for the storm, which could bring 2-4 inches of snow, the public works department has stocked up on salt and sand, cleared inlets and put barricades aside on low-lying roads in case they are needed. 

Residents are asked to move their vehicles to higher ground and secure loose items in the yard in anticipation of winds gusting from 45-48 mph. In Holmdel, around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, a gas line was severed when the wind knocked over a large barbeque, and the fire department and gas company had to come disconnect the service.   

Find out what's happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here