West Orange Declares Limited State of Emergency for Hurricane Sandy

The following was issued by the Township of West Orange on Sunday night:

Due to the impending impact of Hurricane Sandy and dangerous weather conditions, please be advised that a Limited State of Emergency has been declared for the Township of West Orange.

The National Weather Service is forecasting high winds and heavy rains with the potential to cause flooding in our area, which could result in several street closings, fallen trees, downed electrical lines, power outages and property damage.

• There will be garbage collection and recycling on Monday
• Garbage collection and recycling will be suspended for Tuesday
• All WO public schools will be closed on Monday, Oct. 29th and Tuesday, Oct. 30th.
• Government offices are closed on Monday, October 29th.
• The West Orange Public Library is closed on Monday, October 29th.
• Jitney service will be suspended until further notice.
• Thomas Edison NHP is closed Monday, Oct. 29th and Tuesday, Oct. 30th
• Essex County Codey Arena will be open as a relief center during the storm beginning Sunday, October 28 @ 7 pm. Accommodations for pets are available.

The Township will continue to communicate to residents and visitors in the following ways:

• TOWNSHIP WEBSITE: www.westorange.org
• EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM: Sign up on our website under the NOTIFY ME tab on the homepage or on the Health Department page
• MASS E-MAIL BLASTS: Sign up at www.westorange.org under the NOTIFY ME tab
• ELECTRONIC SIGNS located in two places: Town Hall front lawn and at the OSPAC facility at the corner of Pleasant Valley Way and Boland Drive
• The WOPD will also send important information through our REVERSE 911 PHONE SYSTEM. Please call 973-325-4100 if you need to listen to the message again.
• FACEBOOK PAGE (West Orange, NJ)
• TV CHANNEL 36 / 45
• Local Media

SHELTER INFORMATION: Presently Essex County Richard J. Codey Arena, located at 560 Northfield Avenue, is open as a relief center during the storm. Accommodations for pets are available. The Township of West Orange is prepared to open a shelter if needed.

Residents are advised to take precautions as identified below:

• Have plenty of fresh water at your disposal
• Have all cell phones fully charged
• Have all emergency and contact numbers available
• Have working flashlights with fresh batteries available
• Inform friends or relatives of your whereabouts
• Stay inside your home away from all windows, which should be shut and shuttered, if possible
• Store inside or securely tie down all lawn furniture, or other loose outside items
• Remove propane tanks from outdoor grills and place in a secure location away from where flooding could occur. Do not place or store propane indoors do to the risk of explosion and/or fire.

Avoid all contact with any downed or sagging wires, and be mindful of standing water surrounding a downed or sagging power wire. Immediately call 9-1-1 to report downed power lines. All power outages should be reported directly to PSE&G at (800) 436-7734.

Local Resources:

• West Orange Police, Fire or Medical emergency: 9-1-1
• West Orange Police (non-emergency): 973-325-4000

Web resources:

• http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/
• http://www.fema.gov/
• http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/psa.asp
• http://www.state.nj.us/health/er/hurricane.shtml