Millburn Storm Update: Flooding, Roads, Rivers, Preventative Measures

MILLBURN, NJ — Millburn town officials provided a weather update on Friday morning, the day after a state of emergency was declared in New Jersey due to a severe storm.

Millburn Town Hall closed early on Thursday due to the ugly weather prediction, which included flood warnings across the state.

Here’s the post-storm roundup, as per the township:

LOCAL FLOODING – “The Millburn Police Department responded to reports of roadway flooding at JFK Parkway and Chatham Road. They also monitored Millburn Avenue/Cypress Street area and other sections of the township. The Millburn Fire Department responded on one storm related call for a power line down. All roadways have been reopened, and a preliminary damage assessment shows no power outages and no other significant damage to public property. In our after-action review of this event, the most impacted areas were consistent with those of prior storms and the township's flash flood maps, demonstrating the community's preparedness.”

WEATHER UPDATE – “A state of emergency was declared [Thursday] due to flooding concerns. The peak of the rainfall event had passed around 3:45 p.m. It is no longer expected that heavy rain will intensify. Precipitation levels are anticipated to gradually decrease over the remainder on the afternoon. The temperatures had already dropped into the mid 70’s.”

RIVER MONITORING – “After the initial downpour, Millburn OEM continued to monitor river levels for downstream runoff. The East Branch of the Rahway River at Millburn Avenue graph indicated that Millburn was in a ‘flood warning stage’ at 5.34 feet at 4 p.m. and began to decline. The Springfield gauge showed that the river crested at 4.18 feet in Springfield as of 5:30 p.m. and began to decline. The West Branch of the Rahway River graph was below flood warning stage at 1.49 feet at 7:44 p.m. The Canoe Brook near Summit graph 13.64 feet at 5:30 p.m. and began to decline. The Orange Reservoir rain graph read as 2.04 inches of rain fell.”

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES – “The township is actively monitoring the storm system and has taken all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the community. Our on-call meteorologists have provided us with an up-to-date weather forecast, and our team is currently taking steps such as cleaning catch basins, storm drains, pipes, and grates. Taylor Park Pond was drained. We also made a request to Essex County to open the sluice gates at Diamond Mill Pond. We are closely monitoring the U.S. National Weather Service New York to ensure we are fully prepared for any potential impact. The Emergency Management Trailer is equipped with standby generators and ready to be deployed for residents with disabilities and access and functional needs. The Millburn Fire Department Rescue 5-High Water Truck was staffed with four firefighters and a captain. Staffing needs were all analyzed by their perspective departments to meet the needs of the incident. The township posted the OEM alert at 8 p.m. the night prior and at 10 a.m. on [Thursday] to notify the residents of the upcoming weather-related event.”

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