Officials: Response to Irene Won't Look Like Floyd

[Clarification at 6:20 p.m.: East Ridgewood Avenue will NOT be closed at 8 p.m. but businesses are being told they'd be wise to close.]

Events this weekend may bear an uncanny resemblance to the devastating storm known as Floyd, but village officials say its preparation and response to Irene will most certainly not.

The storm is making its way over North Carolina Saturday and is likely to remain near hurricane strength as it crosses up to New Jersey, expected sometime Sunday morning. Six-to-eight inches of rain is forecasted, though some areas could see twice that amount. Winds may be up to 70 miles per hour on Sunday.

Mass flooding and widespread power outages are forecasted to cause damage that could rival that of Floyd, or even eclipse it. A state of emergency was declared by Governor Christie and evacuations of coastal regions and even Hoboken and Jersey City were ordered.

"We've learned a lot since Floyd," said Mayor Keith Killion in an interview at the conclusion of a staff meeting late Friday night.

"One of the reasons we are more prepared is because most of the staff–including certain council people–were here during Floyd and we can learn from their mistakes," said the mayor, who at the time of Floyd was a policeman. Hundreds of basements were flooded, rescues were made and damage was considerable in the September 1999 devastation. Police communications were down while officials and responders moved operations from flooded Village Hall to the Pease Library.

"Things that happened during Floyd that we weren't prepared for we're now talking about, we're now doing," said Killion. "Naturally, you can't be prepared for everything but we're not going to be caught off guard." Killion said he has been "impressed" with the cooperation between departments and the thoroughness of scenarios staff have prepared for.

Part of what has changed from over a decade ago (beyond a new Village Hall/a police headquarters and OEM center now on the second floor) is how the message is getting out. The village is taking advantage of technology – its website will be constantly updated, as will its Twitter page. [Editor's note on Saturday afternoon: Updates have been sparse on Saturday.]

The information call line for citizens will be up (201-444-1776) should power go out.

Those most vulnerable–seniors and the 29 registered disabled persons in Ridgewood–will be a priority for the village, officials say. "[For] Anybody with disabilities that calls the police department, we will respond as quickly as we can," Killion said. "We understand the problems people with disabilities have and we will give them a top priority."

"The current plan is to have the senior bus manned so that if people do need to be evacuated they will be taken to the county shelter at Bergen Community College," added Deputy Mayor Tom Riche. "Cats and dogs are allowed at the shelter," he said, but don't board the bus with a snake or bird.

"The plan is that during the height of the storm only life-saving calls will be attended to and prioritized," said Riche. "We're not going to send out emergency service personnel to tape up a tree that fell during the height of the storm. We're going to make sure everybody is safe and obviously anything that is life-threatening will be responded to immediately."

The 911 line should only be called in cases of true emergency, both the deputy mayor and mayor stressed. Incidents like flooded basements and damage from trees will be placed on the basis of priority. Residents can call Central Dispatch and be placed on a priority list, Killion said. Burglar alarms won't be responded to, as they trip easily but fire alarms will still be responded to during the storm.

Those in flood heavy areas should consider finding other accommodations, Killion said. "My advice would be to find a motel and fix up the house as best you can," he said, adding that residents who know they're in at-risk areas should not place emergency responders in harm's way if they can help it.

Staffing levels

Extra hands have been brought in at every division, particularly emergency services. Normal police shifts have four officers on patrol with two supervisors. But during the storm, there will be ten officers on with two supervisors. The same is true of fire and EMS, Killion said.

"If we see it's getting bad, we'll call out more."

All village and BOE properties will close at 5 p.m. Saturday. Village workers will be using Glen School, B.F. and G.W. middle schools as operations and sleep centers. They'll be fully stocked with food and water from Ridgewood businesses.

However, one notable group will not be out during the height of the storm.

"PSE&G will not deploy any men during the height of the storm for safety reasons but have over 6,000 men ready to respond," Killion said. The public service company will be prioritizing calls starting with hospitals, water departments, village halls, police. 

"The village cannot remove trees unless public service cuts the wires," Killion added, noting that an outside tree service is also on standby.

There's been a discussion to share assets with the other twelve towns in Northwest Bergen County.

"Ridgewood comes first," Killion said. Still, the village will be sharing parts if it can spare, as will other towns. However, it will not come at the expense of the village residents' safety, the mayor stressed. "We will not send police officers and fire[fighters] and leave this town short. If there's something we can assist without taking needed manpower or resources, we'll certainly share it with our sister communities."

Major snag cleared at the brook

Municipalities in the area have complained about the frustrating conditions the DEP levied on cleanup efforts in the past. As trees fall and branches clog up brooks, water that's diverted can wash through homes and businesses, causing considerable damage. Municipalities are not typically allowed to remove any items that fall into waterways, but will not be hindered during Irene.

"One of the difficulties we've had in the past is when we get tree debris into the brook there's very specific DEP guidelines to follow," Riche said. The governor, however, has authorized municipalities to remove any obstacles that may be in the way prior to the storm and followup with the paperwork after the storm.

"It's a great opportunity we've been given and we're going to take advantage of it," Riche said.

Christie is also suspending the registration requirements of vehicles for garbage pickup. "What that means is we can pick up garbage in vehicles that aren't registered to pick up garbage," Killion said. "After Floyd there was massive debris on the curbs and you had to have DEP permits on every vehicle but that's fortunately been suspended," Riche added.

Equipment/traffic

Barricades will be centrally located for some of the flood-prone areas like Graydon Terrace, Warren Place and around the retaining wall near Village Hall and the high school, officials say. Meanwhile, sandbags are being deployed to wells, the Wortendyke in Midland Park and at the Sicomac well in Wyckoff, which serves as the major generator for Ridgewood. "Naturally, if there's a high flow of water we really can't protect everybody," Killion said.

There's a natural gas-powered generator at Village Hall so power isn't knocked out and a situation a la Floyd emerges. "There's much more coordination and interchange of information than there ever was with Floyd," Killion said.

All furniture and other items in the first floor of Village Hall has been brought upstairs or secured, Killion said. During Floyd, the village lost thousands of records in the high waters.

Portable generators that are commonly used for sport games have been deployed to power the traffic signals that the village does not have access to (they're the domain of the county) at key intersections. Those lights will be shining on stop signs to create a four-way intersection signal. Other generators will power many of the traffic lights the village can access, and are already wired.

Chief of Police John Ward personally instructed businesses to remove their chairs and anything that can become a projectile during the storm. Killion warned that the health department will be out inspecting temperatures of food after the storm.

If power is to go out, refridgerated items only have a four-hour span before safety is a question, he said. A letter has been sent to the chamber of commerce denoting the restrictions and conditions in place, and the chamber will alert its constituents, the mayor said.

There are currently no boiling water restrictions, but that may come in the next day or two.

Village vehicles will be parked on North Maple Avenue and at Cottage Place, higher ground than the Village Hall lot. Residents can use the Walnut Street lot and are encouraged to park on high ground but should notify the police department of the vehicle's location and plate number. There are no plans to rescind parking enforcement on Saturday or Monday, though the village will reexamine the ordinance enforcement as Irene hits.

Despite the various changes and easing of some restrictions by the state, there's one prominent restriction that remains. Ridgewood Water restrictions remain in place. 

"We may lose a well or two if something is contaminated, so we have less pumping capacity," Killion said.

The raw sewage problem

"In talking to the engineer, there's really nothing we can do at the sewage plant," Mayor Killion said.

There's a good chance of an overflow and if that happens, discharge finds its way into the brook, as it did during the storms this past spring and again during Floyd.

"Basically the way all these sewage plants are set up, if you lose power or there's a tremendous flow there's not much you can do with the discharge. We're hoping that's not the case but if it does we'll file the proper paperwork [with the DEP]."

Officials say parents should instruct their children not to play in the water, as it may contain raw sewage from the plant in Waldwick and the plant owned by Ridgewood.

Ridgewood should be 'confident' in Valley, school properties 'secured'

Valley Hospital Communications Director Ken Parker says Valley is "well prepared" to dealing with whatever Irene brings to the table.

"Generators have been filled to capacity with fuel and the hospital can be powered for as little as 2.5 days, but perhaps longer based on fuel consumption," he said in an e-mail. The generators back up the entire phone system and wireless equipment, two-ways and satellite phones. 

Deliveries of food were made Saturday instead of its usual Monday date and the hospital will be stocked for six days for patients, Parker said. Linens, bedding and other supplies were also delivered prior to Saturday.

"As of this time, surgical procedures scheduled for Monday have not been cancelled, but the situation is being reviewed with our doctors" and a final decision will be made Saturday, Parker said. Additional staff has not been scheduled to appear, and staff stuck in poor weather can sleep over at Valley. Plans have been formulated and, according to hospital officials, things are well in hand.

"The public should feel very confident knowing that Valley is on top of the situation and has prepared for the storm from every angle," said Parker.

Contractors of the school construction have been cleaning up early in anticipation of the storm and buildings have been secured, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein said previously.

The turf fields, which are prone to extreme flooding, have racked up thousands of dollars in damage due to water issues. It seems there's little that can be done but hope for the best, officials concede.

Costs, advice from mayor

While it's too early to project costs, Killion said the village will be working with the county on any FEMA-related claims, per the governor's request. A thorough accounting examination has already been conducted should there be a state of disaster declaration. If flooding does eclipse that of Floyd, the fire department is expected to be pumping basements out for a week or longer.

"Do not come out of your house during the storm unless it's a true emergency," Killion said addressing citizens. "The governor has declared a state of emergency–all unnecessary travel is stopped and that goes for Ridgewood too. Don't come out, look and walk the streets. There are dangers out there even if the storm has passed. Wires will be down, [with] loose branches that could collapse with a wind. I'm asking everybody to stay indoors in their houses and wait until we can make some progress."

"I'm also asking that people have patience," he said. "We realize their necessities, we're not oblivious to it but there are protocols to follow. Please be safe and listen to emergency service personnel and look at what's on the website."

We'll be bringing out every detail from the streets of Ridgewood throughout Hurricane Irene. Follow me on twitter @RidgewoodPatch; call me at (201) 364-3232 with any tips or things to check out; and send photos at james.kleimann@patch.com