Sandy Will Be a 'Long-Duration Event,' NOAA Official Says

Hurricane will bring a variety of hazards and up to 8 inches of rain as it wreaks havoc throughout East Coast, according to federal officials.

As Hurricane Sandy travels toward the East Coast, New Jersey residents should brace for a slow deterioration of the weather well before landfall early next week, according to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Additional damage from Sandy is expected, because the hurricane is expected to lose speed by the time it makes landfall. This will extend the period of heavy wind and rainfall, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb. Sandy is expected to bring between 5 and 8 inches of rain to the affected area, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction Director Dr. Louis Uccellini said. Between 50 and 60 million people will be impacted by Sandy well into next week. "It's difficult to …

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Hurricane Irene

Boater Takes to the Street as Waters Rise Along Passaic

After Irene: A motor boat cruises along a Livingston street; Gov. seeks federal help, updates on water and power.

We’re not sure what they were fishing for, but the motor boat cruising across Dorsa Avenue – that’s right, a street in Livingston – was the latest sign the floodwaters destroying large parts of the state are being felt in a few places that sit along the Passaic River in Livingston. The ball fields near Okner Parkway are also underwater, and police observed fish swimming around in the field. On Tuesday, state officials asked President Barack Obama to quickly declare New Jersey to be a major disaster area after Hurricane Irene ravaged the state with dangerous winds and torrents of rain this weekend. The declaration would enable the federal government via FEMA to assist state and local administrations and affected residents. Irene wasn’t as …

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Marilyn Joyce Lehren

9:18 pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2011

JCP&L reporting 204 customers still without power in Livingston. Updated, Aug. 31, 9 p.m. Boil water advisory remains in effect.   more ›

Hurricane Irene

After Irene: Bailing, Boiling and a Tough Commute

Livingston carries on knowing Irene could have been worse.

More than 500 Livingston homes have been told to boil tap water before drinking. Others are bailing out the brook that flooded their homes. Many are without power, 800 or so homes still dark since Sunday. Under a beautiful blue sky, nature’s fury was plain to see. Dozens of trees uprooted, resting on homes or just brushing close by. And Livingston counts itself lucky. Irene killed two dozen people (the number still rising) when it struck the Eastern Seaboard over the weekend. Damage is estimated in the billions. Images are filled with rescues, rushing water and record floods. “You put it in the perspective of the people living in the flood-ravage areas, that’s tragedy,” observed Livingston resident Ellen Lazer. "We don’t have that here. …

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Marilyn Joyce Lehren

11:02 pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2011

President Barack Obama declared New Jersey a major disaster area Wednesday in response to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Irene, officials said. The President will visit Paterson on Sunday. (Updated Aug. 31).   more ›

Hurricane Irene

5 Things: What To Do if Your Basement is Flooded

Important information in the wake of Irene.

1. If you lose electricity and your basement is flooded, notify PSE&G (1-800-436-PSEG (7734) and call the town, (973) 992-3000, ext. zero. Stay away from the breaker box if it's in a flooded basement. Don’t go into a flooded basement if energized wires are present. 2. If water is rising to the height of any gas appliance, the gas supply to the appliance should be turned off.  If you are unable to do so, call PSE&G or the police department for assistance (again 992-3000, ext. zero). 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. 3. Call PSE&G (1-800-436-PSEG (7734) immediately if you smell gas. 4. To report a power outage, call PSE&G’s Customer …

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Scores of Roads Close as Livingston Gets a Soaking

‘It was chaos’ late Wednesday afternoon as streets and homes flood.

It rained yesterday, it’s raining today, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and the day after that. It’s not just dreary: Weather watchers are warning of flash floods and heavy downpours. In Livingston, the deluge came late this afternoon, closing scores of roads and flooding homes. “It was chaos from 3:46 to 5:02 p.m.,” said Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold. “At 4:20 we were under water.” Nearly 20 streets were closed before the waters subsided. East Hobart Gap Road remained close where the brook overflowed and a car was left stranded, Dippold said. Police and fire were on the scene to help several residents whose homes flooded. At one home under construction on Wynnewood Road, the heavy rains washed part of the street away, Dippold said. The Oval …

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Give Me a (Spring) Break

Flooding keeps Livingston police busy on Saturday night.

It was a dark and stormy night. So dark and stormy on Saturday, in fact, that Livingston Police closed flooded roads and helped stranded motorists every few minutes during a three-hour stretch, according to Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold. With schools closed this week, students are hoping for a break from these April showers. Unfortunately, they won't be seeing sunny skies until later in the week: Rain is predicted for the next two days, according to the National Weather Forecast for Livingston. Saturday’s storm started slowly with cold rain that cancelled some sports events and saw parents shivering at the Lion’s spring egg hunt. By nightfall, Livingston and the surrounding area saw thunder, lightning, and scattered power outages. By 9 p.m., …

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Editor's Notebook

Mopping Up: Reflections on the Flood

Melting snow and recent rains combine for a soggy mess.

I always wanted to live by water and with this week’s March rains, I can wade in my own backyard. But the pond in our yard is also in the basement, a soggy mess that the kids are helping to mop up and clean out, a spring cleaning that none of us expected quite so soon. There’s little solace in knowing we’re not alone as we watch the rescues and water rising in our neighboring towns. Livingston has had 4-5 inches, a month’s worth of rainfall in a five-day period, according to Dr. David Robinson, the state’s climatologist. “The situation in the Passaic basin is serious,” Robinson said. “Should the waters crest on Sunday at the predicted level, it will mark the third greatest flood on record.” These numbers are tracked at the Little Falls …

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Winter Breaks: Painting the Town Red

But the thaw begs the question: What’s going to happen to all the snow?

With Friday being the first warm day in a very long time, it almost seems like a joke that kids are heading off on winter break. Around town, birds were singing, there was a bounce in the steps of walkers on the Oval, and we even saw a cool Mustang convertible with the top down! The sun and the warmth are a sure cure for the winter blues. This morning, preschoolers at Early School of Temple B'nai Abraham, used the spring thaw as their canvas, creating snow bank murals with paints made from natural and non-toxic pigment. Now that's what we call a spring celebration -- painting the snow red! Not to put a damper on it, but what’s going to happen to all this snow? We’re certainly in a "precarious position" for flooding when the snow melts, …

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