Politics & Government

School Reopens Tuesday; More Updates from Middletown Township

Latest update includes information about school closing, volunteers, water usage, traffic safety.

Wednesday Afternoon Updates

Volunteers, Businesses

The township has received several inquiries regarding volunteers who want to help during this difficult time. We've also received calls from businesses that have heavy equipment, portable genenators, specialized services etc.

We are collecting information at this time and will contact volunteers/businesses as needed. And thanks for offering!

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

Volunteers - E-mail publicinfo@middletownnj.org with your name, phone number,and any expertise you may have and availability. You can also call 732-615-2000 and leave the information if you can't e-mail.

Business - Email publicinfo@middletownnj.org with your name, phone number, equipment available, services offered. Again you can call 732-615-2000 and leave the info the staff if you can't call or e-mail

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

Generators

Portable generators create carbon monoxide. For the safety of everyone inside your home,  all portable generators must be located a minimum of 20 feet from an inhabited structure.

Consider weather conditions such the direction of wind when locating generators to prevent fumes from entering your structure.

 

Middletown Public School Resumes Tuesday

In order to ensure public safety, the Board of Education in consultation with the Middletown Township Committee and Administration has made the decision to close all district schools through November 12. This will cause schools to be closed for the 4 days scheduled during that period. School will resume on Tuesday, November 13. School updates will continue to be posted at www.middletownnj.org until further notice.

Downed Wires

JCP&L is engerizing the electric grid. Please treat as every downed wire as being energized and extremely dangerous. Stay at least 300ft away from all down lines. 300 feet is equivalent to the size of a football field.

Building Safety

Residents are permitted to return to homes and businesses.  DO NOT ENTER anybuilding with a circle witn X in it.  Call 732-615-2000

Water Pressure and Conservation

Earlier this morning, New Jersey American Water experienced a brief outage in its stand-by generators at the Swimming River Water Treatment Plant and the Newman Springs pumping station. This brief outage has caused some customers in the higher elevations to experience pressure fluctuations.
The generators have now been repaired at both locations. Because we are still on stand-by generator power, our facilities are operating at a reduced capacity but are providing adequate pressure to our customers.  Any customers who have experienced service issues this morning should see their pressure stabilize shortly.  We are also in contact with JCP&L and have communicated the critical nature of getting these locations back on utility power.

We are still urging water conservation until our systems are fully restored to utility power.

Traffic Safety

The Middletown Police Department advised that all lighted intersections are to be treated as 4-way stops.

 

Wednesday morning update

The recording of the Mayor's update was not successful. Below is a summary of the information provided. Thank you for your patience.

Summary
Township officials began preparing for Hurricane Sandy well in advance. We readied township equipment including barricades, heavy equipment, chainsaws, pumps, generators and personnel. The township set up the Emergency Operations Center as of Friday.

Hurricane Sandy turned out to be a storm of unprecedented proportions. Our Northern Bayshore suffered extensive damaged due to recording breaking storm surges and high winds. Thousands of trees have come down, many bringing power wires with them, closing roads.

Township crews have worked continuously since the storm began trying to clear roads and keep people safe.

So far we’ve had tremendous cooperation from the public and will continue to need it as we work with the utility companies, police, fire, EMS, public to restore and maintain public safety.

We’ve been in constant communications with JCP&L who are working to restore their infrastructure as soon as possible. Currently, they have 32 forestry crews removing trees entangled in wires throughout the township.

We ask for your continued patience and understanding as we continue to work through this difficult process.

As you may have heard or read already, school is closed Wednesday. Township offices are closed Wednesday

The school website is currently down. For the time being check the township website for storm related school information.

As you may have also heard we ask that you postpone Halloween festivities due to significant public safety concerns.

As with last year’s Hurricane Irene the township will waive permit fees for replacement of heating units, hot water heaters and central air conditioning units.  Contact the building department for further information.

Normal trash recycling and bulk collection will resume Thursday.  We will be expanding our bulk collection program temporarily to accommodate an overwhelming volume of bulk items.

Continue to monitor the township website, email alerts and share them with friends, family and neighbors.

 

Tuesday, 3:30 p.m Update

Storm Update #16  October 30, 3:30p
Municipal Offices are Closed on Wednesday October 31.  
Please limit 911s call to true emergencies.


Federal Aid Programs for State of New Jersey Disaster Recovery
How to Apply for Assistance:

Those in the county designated for assistance to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) Monday through Sunday until further notice. Applicants registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves (name, permanent address, phone number), insurance coverage and any other information to help substantiate losses.

Application procedures for local and state governments will be explained at a series of federal/state applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved mitigation projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.

 

New Jersey American Water Asks Customers to Conserve Water after Hurricane Sandy
Water service is normal; most company’s facilities are on back-up power
VOORHEES, N.J. (October 30, 2012) – As the state recovers from Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey American Water urges its customers state-wide to conserve water indefinitely as many of the company’s facilities are operating on emergency generators. In the aftermath of the storm, water service for New Jersey American Water customers has not been interrupted and the company has not issued any boiled water advisories.

“We are working with the power companies to have power fully restored at all of our pumping stations and water treatment plants, and ask that our customers discontinue non-essential water use until further notice,” said Stephen P. Schmitt, vice president of operations for New Jersey American Water. “Voluntary water conservation reduces the demand on the water system while it operates on backup power. We thank our customers in advance for their cooperation in conserving water while power is being restored to their homes and to our facilities.”

New Jersey American Water suggests the following conservation tips for customers:

  • Please refrain from nonessential uses of water, such as lengthy showering and bathing, as well as lawn watering.
  • Avoid using outdoor hoses for storm clean up.
  • Use a broom instead. For customers who have electrical service:  Run dishwashers and laundry washing machines only when they are full. If you have a water-saver cycle, use it.
  • Regularly check your toilet, faucets, and pipes for leaks.

Tuesday 2:30 p.m. Storm Recovery Update from Mayor Fiore

I want to take this time to assure all of our residents that we are working around the clock to respond to the needs of all areas of the community. We are faced with a daunting task. The storm we all endured yesterday was devastating to say the least. The entire Township is without power at this time, along with nearly a million others here in New Jersey. We have thousands of downed trees, many tangled in electrical wires and many streets remain flooded and inaccessible. Many of our homes are substantially damaged and even uninhabitable.

I am confident that we can all pull together in this time of need and work with one another to remain safe. At times like this neighbors need to help neighbors and I have no doubt that our great citizens will do just that.

I want to pass on some critically important information to all of you and I hope that you can help us by passing this information on to others.

  1. The Board of Education currently does not have access to its website or phone systems due to the power loss. For now and until further notice please look for school related emergency information on the Township's website and other social media. All Middletown Township Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, October 31.
  2. At this time is is highly unlikely that Halloween can be held safely tomorrow. Street and sidewalk conditions are not adequate and there will likely not even be any street lighting by tomorrow. We would like to work with the Community to plan a safer more appropriate date later next week.
  3. There will be a Curfew today from 6:00PM until 6:00AM tomorrow. It is possible that this will also be imposed tomorrow as well. Please look out for this information.
  4. Please remember that it is extremely dangereous to approach downed wires. Do not do so. Please all the Township or JCP&L at 1-888-LIGHTSS that’s 544-4877.
  5. Due to traffic signals being out on both State Highways and at all major intersections throughout the Township, it is requested that you drive as little as possible until power is restored.

Tuesday 8 a.m. update from Middletown Township OEM


Crews are continuing to work on removal of downed trees. There are numerous power lines down.

First Responders are assessing conditions in flooded areas and removing residents where necessary.

Fire Officials are throughout the Township assessing potential fire risks.

Please limit travel on roads as much as possible. Traffic Signals are not operating and there are many streets impacted by downed wires, downed trees, debris and flooding.

Please remember do not touch or approach downed wires. Also If you see JCP&L workers or other utility workers, please do not report incidents or issues directly to them. Please call the appropriate phone numbers instead.

Please call town hall at 732-615-2000 to report any other dangerous conditions you see. For true emergencies remember to cal 911.

If you smell natural gas please call 732-615-2000.

Monday, 5:30 p.m. update from Middletown Township OEM

The Township Emergency Operation Center is continuing to monitor the storm and its impact on the township. Fire and First Aid stations are manned. Emergency personnel including Public Works crews will respond to service calls until weather conditions become too severe. Response and recovery efforts will resume once it is safe for emergency personnel to respond.

Weather Conditions
Flooding can be expected to worsen throughout the evening and especially as the next high tide approaches at about 8:21 pm. Heavy flooding, high winds and rain are expected.

Emergency Management reminds residents to be safe with these reminders:

  • Do not go outside. Flying debris from high winds is a danger. As the eye of the storm passes, there will be a short period of calm followed by rapid wind speed increases to hurricane force that will come from the opposite direction.
  • Avoid using candles for lighting. Use a battery-powered flashlight.
  • Try to stay in an interior room away from windows.
  • If flooding occurs, turn off electricity at the main breaker.
  • If your power goes out, turn off your major appliances. This will minimize losing power again through a power surge and protect the equipment when power returns.
  • Stay calm and do not call 9-1-1 unless it is an emergency.
  • Please understand that emergency responders and utility personnel will not be out in the field during in the height of storm. It is not safe for them to be outdoors in extreme weather conditions

Monday, 2 p.m. update from Middletown Township OEM

This is a message from Middletown Emergency Management. Due to deteriorating conditions the last transport to the county shelter has been changed from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Anyone wishing to be transported to the county shelter will need to be at Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Road by 2:45pm. 

A storm surge map showing the reach of a Category 1 and 2 storm in Middletown is here.

Monday, 11:30 a.m. update from Middletown Township OEM

This is a message from the Middletown Township office of Emergency Management. The National Weather Service is very concerned about the Bayshore area. Unprecedented levels of flooding that have not yet been recorded in history are possible.

Middletown Township has issued a mandatory evacuation order from the Keansburg border to the Atlantic Highlands border from Route 36 to the bay.

If you need shelter you must be at Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Road by 5 pm and you will be transported to a county shelter.  

 

Monday, 9:30 a.m. update from Middletown Township: 

Township crews continue responding to calls for downed trees. Reports of downed wires are immediately reported to JCP&L.

It is important that you report all power outages to JCP&L.  
Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877). Visit the JCP&L Power Center.and the JCP&L Power Outage Map

Croydon Hall continues to accept residents who need a shelter. Once at Croydon Hall residents are then transported to County Shelter Facilities. Bring animals in cages, on leashes (and with food if possible)

Flooding can be expected to worsen throughout the day and especially as the next high tide approaches at about 8:21 this evening.

Residents in low lying areas are urged to leave if they can still do safely.

NJ American Water Update
NJAM Facebook - Their Facebook page is being monitored, updated, and replied to on a continuous basis. Customers without Water Service should call 1-800-652-6987.

Township Updates will continue to be posted on www.middletownnj.org, Comcast Channel 20, Verizon Fios Channel 26, 1620 AM, Facebook @middletownnjtownhall and Twitter @middletownnj.Also, stay tuned to local news stations for more information.

Please limit 911 calls to true emergencies. We appreciate your cooperation.  

 

Sunday, 11:30 p.m. update:

Closures
Municipal Offices are closed on Monday, October 29th. 
Middletown Public Schools are closed on Monday, October 29th. 
The Library and its branches are closed until further notice. 
The Middletown Arts Center is closed on Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th.

Garbage and Recycling
Recycling and garbage collection is canceled on Monday, October 29th and Tuesday, October 30th due to the declared State of Emergency. Residents with collections scheduled for these days should secure their trash and recycling and set it out on their next collection day unless advised otherwise after the storm.

Emergency Preparedness
Middletown Township has declared a State of Emergency. The Township’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Township officials have readied township equipment including barricades, heavy equipment, chainsaws, pumps, generators and personnel. Public Works crews were out on Sunday clearing storm drains in critical drainage areas. Fire stations and first aid buildings will be manned as the storm gets closer. All emergency personnel are on standby by as the storm advances as well.

Residents are reminded to prepare themselves, their families and their properties for this storm as well. Visit www.ready.nj.gov for more information.

Evacuation Orders
As a reminder, the township issued a mandatory evacuation order from the Keansburg border to the Atlantic Highlands border, from Route 36 to the bay. The County has opened two shelters. If you cannot make other arrangements, you must first go to the staging area at Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Road. You will be transported to a shelter.

Electricity
It is important that you report all power outages to JCP&L.  
Call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877)
Visit the JCP&L Power Center
Visit the JCP&L Power Outage Map

Shadow Lake, Swimming River Reservoir

Monmouth County is lowering the level of Shadow Lake in order to minimize the likelihood of it overflowing or compromising the Hubbard Avenue Dam during the storm. We have been advised that New Jersey American Water Company is taking similar precautions with the Swimming River Reservoir as well as the water supply lines to Middletown.

High tides are as follows:

  • Monday 8:01AM and 8:21PM
  • Tuesday 8:37AM and 9:01PM

Updates will continue to be posted on www.middletownnj.org, Comcast Channel 20, Verizon Fios Channel 26, 1620 AM, Facebook @middletownnjtownhall and Twitter @middletownnj.Also, stay tuned to local news stations for more information.

Please limit 911 calls to true emergencies. We appreciate your cooperation.  


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