Millburn Begins Cleanup In Ida's Aftermath; School To Reopen

MILLBURN, NJ — In the wake of Tropical Depression Ida and the flooding of the Rahway River on Wednesday, sections of Millburn Avenue were closed Thursday and volunteers joined workers to help clean up dirt and debris.

Update: Millburn Continues Recovery Efforts After Hurricane Ida

A Millburn resident posted video of Millburn High School students helping with cleanup, writing, "They could’ve spent it on their phones or binge watching their favorite tv shows, but no, not our kids!"

The school district sent an email Thursday about schools reopening Friday. "Please anticipate transportation/busing delays due to flooding, storm debris, road closures, as well as the normal start of school efforts in coordinating routes and new drivers," said the note. "We know this has been a difficult 24 hours for so many in our community. Please let your principal know of any concerns for you or your students as a result of the storm."

A video posted on Twitter late last night shows a torrent of water flooding into the center of Millburn’s downtown, near Goldberg’s Deli.

The township also Tweeted Thursday morning that Millburn was still under a flood warning and that residents should be vigilant.

Road closures included JFK Parkway North and South, White Oak Ridge between Great Hills Road and Parsonage Hill Road and the Millburn Avenue 500 block between Route 124 and Short Hills Avenue.

Mayor Tayor Prupis sent a voicemail to Millburn residents, urging them to come together and help pick up debris around town.

“This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in years,” said Prupis. “Now is the time to come together and help one another.”

“We are asking residents who are unaffected by the storm and wish to help assist by picking up storm debris and garbage throughout our neighborhood ... Rest assured that our Millburn Township departments are working at full force around the clock on cleaning up and assisting with recovery.”

Local restaurants, such as Goldberg’s Deli and Basilico, experienced significant damage and flooding. Many store cellars were filled to the brim with water, and other stores had broken windows that caused burglar alarms to go off Wednesday night.

Millburn Township residents and businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Ida who need assistance with non-life threatening situations can contact Millburn Township's call center at (973)-564-7000 between the hours of 8:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m.