Latest Updates from South Orange, Millburn, NYC, Montclair

UPDATE: Montclair has declared a state of emergency, effective 6 p.m. on Saturday.

New York City’s mass transit system shuts down at noon on Saturday, as does NJ Transit’s entire system.

South Orange has declared Baird Center a shelter in case of home flooding. If Baird becomes uninhabitable, the South Orange Library will be the shelter if people are displaced by the storm. [UPDATED 10:18 p.m.]

Millburn has declared an emergency and opened dams, including Taylor Park, to maximize water flow. No overnight parking is allowed for the duration of the storm. Tree companies have been engaged to remove debris, and tow companies have been engaged to remove stranded cars. Barricades and sandbags have been placed at strategic locations.

Essex County, meanwhile, is closing its park system, including the zoo, Saturday through Monday.

Hurricane Irene presents serious safety challenges for Essex County. We are advising residents to make sure they have flashlights with batteries, bottled water and sufficient food and that they stay indoors. With up to 10 inches of rain and winds forecasted to reach over 70 miles per hour, it is just too dangerous to venture outside,” DiVincenzo said. “Essex County is closing our parks, recreation facilities and Correctional Facility as a precaution,” he pointed out.

“With Sheriff Armando Fontoura, we are working with local public safety officials to make sure we have sufficient manpower and a coordinated plan to respond to any emergency created by Hurricane Irene,” the County Executive said.

All parks and recreation facilities in the Essex County Parks System will be closed to the public beginning Saturday, August 27th and all day on Sunday, August 28th. This includes golf courses, Turtle Back Zoo, miniGOLF Safari, senior recreation buildings and all roads that travel through the parks. Because of the anticipated damage to trees, senior buildings in the parks will remain closed on Monday, August 29th so park crews can remove debris.

The Codey Arena at 560 Northfield Ave will be open as an emergency shelter starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Here is some more information from Montclair:

Montclair OEM requests that residents do the following:

1. Shelter in Place. To Shelter-in-Place means to remain in your home or workplace during the hurricane and protect yourself there. The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management has detailed information about SHELTERING IN PLACE: www.state.nj.us/njoem/plan/prot-act-shelter.html

2. Should a medical or life-threatening emergency arise, immediately call 9-1-1.

3. In the event of a power outage, PSE&G advises residents to call 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) to report the outage.

The State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness is urging residents to stock up on supplies now, such as bottled water and canned goods and keep first-aid kits, batteries and flashlights on hand.

Information on hurricane preparation from the American Red Cross is available here: Hurricane Safety Checklist (PDF download), Power Outage Fact Sheet (PDF download), www.redcross.org.

Information is also available on the NJ Office of Emergency Management website: www.state.nj.us/njoem. Twitter users can also follow the New Jersey State Police at: https://twitter.com/NJSP.

Additional websites:

NJ Dept. of Health and Senior Services — www.state.nj.us/health
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)– www.fema.gov
National Weather Service — www.nws.noaa.gov

Emergency information updates will be posted to the township website and TV34.