Englewood Officials Ready as Storm Hits, City Manager Says

Englewood employees were preparing for the storm Thursday night and plan to continue plowing and cleanup through Saturday afternoon, according to City Manager Tim Dacey.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for eastern Bergen County, predicting as much as 14 inches of snowfall possible by Saturday afternon.

City workers began spraying brine on hills Thursday night to prevent ice from forming on the streets, then began spreading salt Friday morning, Dacey said.

Plows will begin clearing streets in the next few hours and continue through Saturday afternoon. The city has hired contractors to assist with plowing overnight.

Still, Dacey said he expects road conditions to be hazardous.

"People really shouldn't be driving after sundown," Dacey said.

Englewood government offices will close early at 4 p.m. Friday due to the weather.

City officials are asking residents to avoid driving if possible, and to not park on streets. The Dean Street Parking garage has been made available to residents for free. It will remain open to park in until 11 p.m. Friday, then open again at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The storm is also expected to bring heavy winds, with gusts hitting between 30 and 50 miles per hour. County officials have warned there may be power outages caused by the winds.

Dacey said the city did not have any plans to open warming centers or shelters, but residents would have access to county shelters if needed.

County Executive Kathleen Donovan said Thursday that any residents who do lose power should be sure to call utilities to make them aware of the outage.

"Do not assume that they know the power lines are down," Donovan said.

Residents can report outages to PSE&G at 1-800-436-7734. Residents can also report any downed power lines to the police at (201) 568-2711.

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