Union County Officials: Flooding Aside, We're Lucky

While more than 58,000 customers may be without power and hundreds of residents were evacuated in county shelters to avoid flooding conditions, Union County officials say the repercussions from Hurricane Irene could have been much worse.

Sunday afternoon, as Irene battered Long Island before tearing through New England, Union County officials bid her good riddance and said that the damage, while significant, involved property only and that no local residents died or suffered major injuries at Irene's hands.

By 4:30 p.m. Sunday, reports from Cranford indicated that flooding remains a challenge for many residents, some of whom need to be rescued by firefighters and emergency crews.

“Union County remains in an emergency response mode, and we urge all residents to refrain from non-essential travel,” Public Safety Director Andrew Moran said. “We also urge residents to please refrain from dialing 911 for non-emergency situations. There are many emergency calls still coming in.” Union County Emergency Management officials, Union County Police and local authorities are in the process of conducting a number of boat rescues to flooded portions of Union County, and are out with the State Police in the Cranford downtown district. 

Rising waters even forced the Cranford Police and municipal workers to evacuate their headquarters. The county installed a temporary command post to assist Cranford in answering all police and emergency calls. County Police in boats rescued 36 residents at Albin Drive in Springfield.

"There has been a lot of flooding and Cranford has been the most impacted," county spokesman Sebastian D'Elia said in an interview with Patch. "The downtown is completely underwater.

D'Elia said that the county police's marine response unit has been involved in "numerous" rescues around Cranford, where flooding has occurred in neighborhoods that have not traditionally flooded.

He said said that the marine unit has also been involved in rescues in Springfield and Rahway, which he described as the two other communities hardest hit by Hurricane Irene. He said in one instance the marine united rescued 36 Springfielders in one spot and 50 people on West Grand Street in Rahway.

D'Elia said in addition to Cranford, Springfield and Rahway, the marine unit has rescued at least a dozen people in Scotch Plains, one person in Kenilworth and one person in Roselle Park.

He said county police have seen people kayaking in Cranford near the Rahway River, an activity being discouraged by the county police at this time.

About half the residents of Scotch Plains and Fanwood are living without power. As workers try to remove debris and replace power lines, PSEG spokeswoman Erica Lembo said, "We don't have specific restoration times or projections at this point, in part because flooding affects operations."

According to a report from the County Office of Emergency Management, trees and power lines were down throughout the county and could be down for a week. In addition, County Police and the OEM performed water rescues to flooded areas around the county. Large portions of the county have experienced flooding problems, with the most severe including Cranford, Springfield and Rahway. Much of the flooding came from the Rahway River, which breeched its banks, but officials report that the Rahway has crested and is now receding.

Still, County Police are asking that nobody get on the roads unless it's an emergency so that police and fire crews can answer calls and public-works details can clear debris and power lines as the roads dry out.

Meanwhile, residents of Springfield, Summit and Millburn are among those who've been told to boil their tap water before drinking it. Throughout the County, nearly all towns are dealing with flooding, from sporadic road closings to massive floods. In Union Township, cars on parts of Morris Avenue were covered in water up to their door handles.

The current was so strong that small waves were lapping against the wall of the Reliable Home Inspection building. Across the street, at the Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church, a replica of Noah's Ark appeared to have run aground in a front lawn that looked more like a small pond. Roads leading to portions of Route 22, Springfield Avenue and Millburn Avenue were closed due to roughly four feet of flooding.

And while residents disregarded official requests to stay off the roads, many tried to take advantage of the break in the weather — and wound up either stuck in flooded roads or trying to navigate detours; during a Sunday afternoon press conference, Gov. Chris Christie said there are 300 different road closures or obstructions across the state.

Christie added that the turnpike and bridges are clear, which allows the state to get equipment where needed. The Garden State Parkway is reopening as of 1 p.m. and tolls will be reinstated at 6 a.m. Monday. New Jersey Transit crews are working to inspect service systemwide and trains are likely to operate on a Saturday schedule Monday morning, Christie added.

At 4 p.m., PSEG reported 58,000 Union County customers still without power. Around the state, 313,000 residents are without power, down from the 650,000 Christie announced at his press conference.

Union County Office of Emergency Management officials are operating their Emergency Operations Center in Westfield. D'Elia said that with power outages occurring throughout Westfield, the county has lost power and is operating the emergency command center on North Avenue with generators.

D'Elia said that during the early morning hours, Runnells Specialized Hospital in Berkeley Heights had to shift to generator power, with power being restored by Sunday afternoon. He also said the Plainfield Police Department and the Elizabeth Fire Department have needed to use generators for power failures.

At the county complex in Elizabeth, D'Elia said operations at the county jail have not been effected and there was some minor flooding in an elevator shaft at the Ruotolo Building, which houses the county prosector's office. D'Elia said that the county government will be open for business on Monday morning.

Residents are urged to remain alert and informed through their local news stations, and can go to www.ucnj.org for safety tips, utility information and can stay informed through Union County’s emergency notification system, Union County First alert. Residents also can sign up for instant notifications at www.ucfirstalert.org