Posts Tagged ‘New Jersey’

Governor Chris Christie is among more than 600,000 citizens across New Jersey who are still without power after a massive nor’easter socked the state with snow, heavy rains and strong winds this weekend. Following Saturday’s October snowstorm which dumped over a foot of snow onto parts of New Jersey, more than half a million residents are left without power. Snow which fell for an estimated 10 hours starting on Saturday caused Gov. Chris Christie to declare a state of emergency. He urged people to stay home. Newark Mayor Cory Booker said Sunday at least 80 trees were down in his city and six crews were working to clear them. Roads were clear, though some streets have minor flooding. Continue

Atlantic City-Ocean City area residents who have not evacuated the state-ordered mandatory evacuation areas are hunkering down, some behind plywood-covered windows and doors. Reportedly, Ocean City is nearly a ghost town, with the evacuation of Cape May County a successful effort with only about 10,000 remaining in the state’s southernmost county. As thousands of residents and tourists evacuated the Jersey shore to other parts of New Jersey or to nearby states such as Pennsylvania, shelters have been set up across the affected areas for those evacuees who have nowhere else to go.

Gov. Chris Christie has dispelled rumors that officials planned to shut down power and gas service to residents in Atlantic City. “Power will continue to flow as long as it can,” Christie said, according to NJ.com. “Power loss will be due to the severity of the storm.” In all, Hurricane Irene has claimed eight lives and left millions either without power or away from their homes, or in some cases both. Nearly all of some areas of NJ, like New Jersey’s Cape May County, have evacuated, as the hurricane approaches. Moreover, where they could not get away, intense flooding offered a path of escape. NJ.com reports that a woman in Nutley, New Jersey reportedly jumped from a bridge and “rode the current to Belleville,” New Jersey. Captain Victor Mesce of the Belleville Police Department said “Our guys found her at 681, Main Street.”