Author Topic: HURRICANE IRENE  (Read 28509 times)

Offline BLeafe

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HURRICANE IRENE
« on: August 27, 2011, 11:43:57 AM »
Post all your before, during (if possible), and after stories here.


I've gotten two phone alerts this morning from the Hackensack Office of Emergency Management. I imagine most of you have too, but just in case you didn't:

The Atlantic St parking garage is being made available to Hackensack residents in flood-prone areas until Monday at 8am.

Another alert told me that I was in a flood-prone area and should move to higher ground. Since the river would have be at least 60' higher than normal to affect me, I think I'll stay put.

It's gonna be an adventure - my ancient unit on the roof of my building is exposed in every direction, so the fun will be ongoing throughout. Fortunately, my landlord recognized the seriousness of the problem and has boarded and sealed some of my windows from the inside.

I have to see something and have some light (and take pictures), so I'm leaving the picture window as is.

I hope that was not an unwise decision.

And it's just started to rain. Here we go!

Stay safe!
« Last Edit: August 27, 2011, 02:49:26 PM by Editor »


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Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2011, 12:02:23 PM »
I'm placing all information from Office of Emergency Management here:
http://www.hackensack.org/controls/eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=602

I also just sent out an email blast to anyone on the city's email lists with the same information.

I also cleaned my gutters, took down my awnings, flags, etc. 

I hear Homer's having a Hurricane Party.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2011, 02:49:47 PM by Editor »

Offline Skipx219

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2011, 12:10:19 PM »
Fill your bathtub with water..a small bucket full will flush the toilet..in case we lose water pressure.. stay safe everyone

Offline BLeafe

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2011, 12:17:02 PM »
Turn your fridge/freezer up as far as it will go.

If you lose power, your food will stay colder longer.

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Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2011, 02:48:35 PM »
An email I received from Cablevision:

As Hurricane Irene approaches our area, we assure you that Cablevision is doing everything possible to maintain the best service experience for our customers. This includes actively monitoring our network and connected equipment like digital cable boxes and modems. In the event you experience service interruption for iO TV®, Optimum Online® or Optimum Voice®, we will be aware of this, and you will not need to contact us to initiate service repair/restoration. We will be working around-the-clock to restore service as quickly as possible.

Thank you for being an Optimum® customer.

Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2011, 03:06:27 PM »
This forecast doesn't look so bad:

Today: Rain likely with a few thunderstorms. Humid. High 79F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
 
Tonight: Tropical storm or hurricane conditions possible. Windy with rain, heavy at times. Low 71F. E winds at 15 to 25 mph, increasing to 25 to 40 mph. Rainfall over 2 inches expected.

Tomorrow: Tropical storm or hurricane conditions possible. Very windy with a heavy, steady rain in the morning. Rain showers continuing in the afternoon. High 73F. NW winds at 35 to 50 mph, diminishing to 25 to 35 mph. Rainfall over 2 inches expected.

Tomorrow night: Clear skies. Gusty winds early. Low 59F. W winds at 25 to 35 mph, diminishing to 10 to 20 mph.

Offline BLeafe

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2011, 09:06:14 PM »
OK, all you Irene/Skynyrd fans............here's the song of the day:




Which, of course, came from:




And I'd be remiss if I left out the most obvious song for this event:





And here are 3 versions of a lullaby for tonight - a VERY interesting assortment of groupings:








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Offline just watching

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2011, 06:57:42 PM »
I saw there was ridiculously deep flooding on South Newman Street at Lodi Street, and one car floating in the water.  The whole industrial area is under water from McDonalds all the way to Route 80. Even Kenneth Street is under water along part of the length. Also Green Street and many nearby side streets hit real bad.  All of these areas described are NOT an official flood zone in Hackensack. 

Coles Brook overflowed, hitting the Esplanade along the Maywood border. The brook is in a pipe under the street, bad idea. Coles Brook is running down Main Street from Route 4, flooding that whole area.  And the whole area between Johnson Ave and the railroad always fills up like a lake in epic floods.  NO, that's not an official flood zone either. Only the Esplanade is an official flood zone.

Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE/PSEG Notice
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2011, 07:44:26 PM »
August 28, 2011


PSE&G Hurricane Irene Update: Aug. 28, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.


Approximately 392,000 PSE&G customers are without power at this time statewide. The number of outages continues to climb as flooding impacts the region. PSE&G has 6,000 employees supporting the restoration effort including 840 PSE&G linemen, 270 out-of-state linemen, an additional 50 crews that have now joined the effort from Ohio, and 540 tree contractors.  The crews are working around the clock, but customers should be prepared for potentially lengthy outages.
 
In addition to widespread electric outages, the heavy rain and storm surge may result in gas outages. Water could enter the utility’s gas distribution system, as well as flood customers’ basements and gas appliances. Customers are reminded to call PSE&G to report gas odors and to contact their local municipal officials for direction and assistance in pumping water out of their basements.
 
FLOODED BASEMENTS
 
Flooded basements can pose a genuine safety risk. Customers should be cautious:
 •If they lose electricity and their basement is flooded, notify PSE&G (1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and call their municipality. Stay away from the breaker box if it's in a flooded basement. And don’t go into a flooded basement if energized wires are present.
 •If water is rising to the height of any gas appliance, the gas supply to the appliance should be turned off.  If customers are unable to do so, they should contact PSE&G or their local police or fire department for assistance. To restore gas service to appliances call PSE&G (1-800-436-7734) and have the appliances checked for safety and restored to proper operation.
 •Customers should call PSE&G (1-800-436-PSEG (7734) immediately if they smell gas.
 
 
GENERATORS
 
Customers who use portable electric generators should carefully read and follow the manual that came with it. Be sure your generator is UL-approved, installed by a licensed electrician and inspected by your local electrical inspector.  There must be a way to physically disconnect your generator from utility lines.  Customers who improperly install, operate or maintain a generator are responsible for any injury or damage suffered by themselves, their neighbors or utility workers.
 
To report a power outage, call PSE&G’s Customer Service line: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).
 
Crews work to restore power to the largest numbers of customers first, taking into account “priority” customers, such as hospitals, police stations, fire stations, water and sewer facilities, communications facilities (TV, radio, and telephone), and customers on life-sustaining medical equipment.  At the same time, the utility restores power to homes and businesses, starting with the circuits serving the largest number of customers.
 
Customers with a handheld device, or who are at an alternate location with power, can also report power outages and view the status of their outage by logging in to My Account at pseg.com. General outage activity throughout our service territory is available online at www.pseg.com/outagecenter and updates are posted on pseg.com during severe weather.
 
We have activated our Twitter page to keep the public informed about our restoration progress. Sign up as a follower at http://twitter.com/psegoutageinfo
 
** The next update will be about 7:30 p.m.
 
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne National Achievement Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).   

Offline BLeafe

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2011, 09:50:12 PM »
Right around the time you posted that, power was lost for at least 3-4 blocks in all directions from me and came back on at around 9:15. River St is still out.

I spent much of that time on the roof trying to take long exposures on a skinny tripod while dealing with really brutal winds, so I'm sure that not everything is gonna be razor-sharp.

It was interesting watching flashlights moving all around the neighborhood. When the power came back on, I peripherally saw what looked like a transformer flash to the west of me as the area lit up and a LOT of cheers were heard.

I'm downloading now...........gotta run.


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Offline BLeafe

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2011, 11:57:41 PM »
Here's what the outage looked like from here. The cars were all turning onto Union St because eastbound Passaic St was blocked off at that point, though I don't know why.

I think it was more widespread than a radius of 3-4 blocks. River St is STILL out  by me and The Ice House appears to be out too.


« Last Edit: August 29, 2011, 04:01:02 PM by BLeafe »
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Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2011, 08:32:46 AM »
A good part of the Fairmount section had no power.  Our power came back early this morning.

Great picture.

Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #12 on: August 29, 2011, 08:40:46 AM »

Offline Editor

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE/Garbage Collection
« Reply #13 on: August 29, 2011, 04:43:50 PM »
From the City's site:

Garbage Collection

The City will be collecting flood damaged items all week.  Simply place your items on the curb. Collection is limited to flood damaged items only. Special collection ends on Friday, 9/2.

More info: http://www.hackensack.org/controls/eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=602

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Re: HURRICANE IRENE
« Reply #14 on: August 29, 2011, 11:04:43 PM »
Some camera-phone pictures from the Temple Avenue/Johnson Avenue area that I took on Sunday afternoon: