UPDATED: New Brunswick and Middlesex County Working Through Major Impacts of Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: New Brunswick remains under a state of emergency, but drivers are permitted back on city roads, city spokesman Russell Marchetta said Tuesday night.

New Brunswick and Franklin Township have both rescheduled Halloween for Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Rutgers University has canceled classes for students through Friday, university spokesman Greg Trevor said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the university was transporting students housed on the Cook/Douglass and College Avenue campuses to the Livingston and Busch campuses, due to power and water outages in New Brunswick.

Trevor said the students were being moved to student centers and dorms on Livingston and Busch until power and water were restored.

City officials were moving residents out of the temporary shelter at Lord Stirling Community School early Tuesday afternoon, as the school, like most of the city, was without power.

Marchetta said New Brunswick escaped major flood damage, but plenty of trees and wires came down.

Those seeking shelter at Lord Stirling were moved to a county operated shelter at Piscataway High School, said David Blevins, Social Services Director for New Brunswick.

The downtown was almost completely shuttered and windows dark. New Brunswick remained in a state of emergency on Tuesday, meaning residents were discouraged from driving on city roads until dangerous conditions were over.

Route 18 in New Brunswick was reopened early Tuesday afternoon.

A boil water advisory was put into effect on Tuesday until further notice, according to the New Brunswick Police Department.

Residents were advised to boil all tap water before drinking it, using it to make ice, brush teeth, wash dishes or prepare food.

New Brunswick Public Schools has canceled classes for Wednesday.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital reported via its Twitter feed that the hospital is currently running on backup power and has implemented a water conservation policy in the wake of the storm.

The hospital has canceled elective surgeries and non-urgent outpatient services to conserve hospital resources as this time.

Middlesex County Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano urged residents to be cautious as they begin to assess the damage from Hurricane Sandy. 

“There are numerous trees and power lines down throughout the county, and residents should always assume that any wires down are live.  We would request that residents stay off the roads today if possible, to allow our emergency services to perform their important work” Rafano said. ”Also, municipal and county crews are out clearing roadways and debris.”

Power companies have multiple tree crews out, removing trees and branches from power lines.  That will enable utility crews to then put power lines back up.  JCP&L is using helicopters to assess damage to their transmission system as the first step to power restoration for their system.

 TOP ISSUES IMPACTING MIDDLESEX COUNTY (Oct. 30 as of 1 p.m.)

• Water shortage for the City of New Brunswick and Milltown, including the New Brunswick area hospitals and the Rutgers University campus.  A Precautionary Boil Water Advisory is in effect for New Brunswick.
• Rutgers University New Brunswick Campuses are relocating students to their Piscataway facilities. All classes are cancelled and offices closed until further notice.
• Over 350,000 people in Middlesex County are without power
• 10  fires extinguished  overnight  – Woodbridge (3) Avenel (1), Sayreville (2), Middlesex (1), Metuchen (1), Edison (1) Carteret (1)

POWER OUTAGES as of 1 p.m.

Over 350,000 residents are without power. Both Milltown and South River have no power at all.  Other municipalities have substantial outages.

SHELTERS (Approximately 860 residents)

Middlesex County opened two regional shelters. Currently there are 200 individuals at the shelter at the Woodbridge Community Center on Main Street; and there are 160 people at the shelter inside the Carl Sandberg Middlesex School in Old Bridge.

Additionally, about 504 residents have gone to local shelters, including:

161 people at Perth Amboy’s 2 shelters

160 people at Carteret’s 2 shelters

80 people at New Brunswick’s shelter

 GENERATOR SAFETY:

For those residents who own portable generators, they should remember the following safety tips:

• Generators should be operated in well-ventilated locations outdoors away from all doors, windows and vent openings.
• Never use a generator in an attached garage, even with the door open.
• Place generators so that exhaust fumes can’t enter the home through windows, doors or other openings in the building.
• Make sure to install carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in your home. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for correct placement and mounting height.
• Turn off generators and let them cool down before refueling. Never refuel a generator while it is running.
• Store fuel for the generator in a container that is intended for the purpose and is correctly labeled as such. Store the containers outside of living areas.

For further information please contact your Municipal Emergency Management Coordinator or the Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management at (732) 727-9009.  You can also obtain additional information from the NJ State Office of Emergency Management Agency at www.ready.nj.gov.