With Potential Hurricane Underway, City Urges Residents To Leave Town
If a hurricane hits Hoboken, most of the city is likely to flood.
Although it's not completely clear yet, when and how hurricane Irene will hit the North East, the city is urging Hoboken residents to prepare for heavy and wide spread flooding on Sunday.
"Even areas of Hoboken that don’t normally flood could be under many feet of water, so residents need to prepare now and be ready to move their vehicles to higher ground or out of town if necessary," Mayor Dawn Zimmer said in a press release on Wednesday afternoon.
The mayor is also urging residents to leave town for the weekend if possible. Zimmer added that she may call for an evacuation "if conditions warrant it."
The city is also advising Hoboken residents how best to prepare for the hurricane when and if it hits town.
Emergency evacuation shelters have been set up at the Wallace School and the Hoboken High School and are stocked with water and cots, according to the city. The city also announced that the North Hudson Sewerage Authority is inspecting pumps and is clearing catch basins. Evacuation plans have been reviewed and are in place if necessary, the mayor announced.
Residents are urged to move their cars to higher grounds or on the upper levels of the city's garages. The safest option, according to the city, is to park outside of Hoboken, where the chance of flooding is less.
Unsecured objects on balconies and patios should be taken inside, due to the possibility of high winds.
It's also a good idea to have 72 hours of non-perishables in the house, in the event of a power outage.
Hurricane Irene is currently moving toward the Bahamas, according to the National Weather Service.
"This is a threat that residents must take seriously," Zimmer said.
Senior citizens and others with special needs (such as the need for electrical medical equipment) who many need assistance with evacuation are asked to notify the Emergency Operations Center as soon as possible by calling 201-239-6643/6644. The EOC will be open 24 hours a day as of 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 25. For emergencies, residents should call 911 or the Hoboken Police Department at 201-420-2100 and Hoboken Fire Department at 201-420-2005/2007.
Jack Blair
1:33 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Overreact much?
rtrux
11:03 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
obviously, you don't live downtown. we'll check back with you again on monday, hopefully you be safe and still smug. geez, what's wrong with suggesting people get out of harm's way?
Redrider765
11:04 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Do you think uptown will be all that much better? We get a big storm surge at high tide, it will be water, water everywhere.
Richard
9:17 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
As we say in Texas, "If the hurricane comes hunker down until it leaves".
Anthony
10:17 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Its not an over-reaction. Hoboken WILL experiance severe flooding if Irene hits as expected. The water table is already pretty high, add to that the flood issues recently and you have a recipre for disaster. Better the Mayor come out and get in front of this then to ignore it.
Kathy Zucker
11:18 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
I have been talking to my long-term Hoboken contacts about what to expect & how to prepare for Hurricane Irene. Blog post at http://momcondoliving.com/2011/08/25/5149/
Doctor Evil
11:35 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Everyone should leave Hoboken ASAP and go to your second home in New Hampshire!
Redrider765
11:41 am on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Certainly can't go to the Jersey Shore where the Russos and their friends have their 2nd homes.
CheatingFive
6:35 am on Friday, August 26, 2011
Don't listen to Mike Bloomberg, if he had half the brain Mason has he would never have fired me.
Bloomberg's loss is Channel 78's Gain!
CheatingFive
6:34 am on Friday, August 26, 2011
Yes, Jack, stay, stay, stay, Beth Mason will be bringing you bottled poland spring, or will it be Perrier? Or Better yet, Perrier Jouet, yes, that's it, Beth will give all those without electricity Champagne, and Cake! Cake for all....
Stay in Hoboken.
Ignore Zimmer, Christie, Cuomo, Bloomberg and The Red Cross, it's all a conspiracy to make Zimmer look good. They want you to leave so she won't have to wait on the Biergarten line.
How nice of tri-state officials all come together and fabricate this evacuation from Virginia to Fire Island to Greenwich... all just for Zimmer!
Stay and enjoy witnessing Ms Mason returning to The Mansion so she can watch her her vote buying team don their yellow "team mason" parkas and give out much needed supplies of caviar, champagne and cake to flood victims who were smart enough to ignore the Zimmer plot for a line-free/crowd -free Hoboken!!!