Schools Close, Crews Ready, Patience Needed for Hurricane Sandy

Madison schools and borough offices not needed during an emergency will be closed Monday and Tuesday, while Madison's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is scheduled to open at 6 a.m. Monday in the public safety building in anticipation of damaging winds, heavy rains and widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Office of Emergency Management Director Bob Landrigan said in a memo Sunday that he, Borough Administrator Ray Codey and Assistant Borough Administrator Jim Burnet are expected to open the EOC at 6 a.m., and department heads have been instructed to arrive at 7 a.m. prepared to work out of that location for the duration of the storm.

All borough functions and offices not needed during the emergency will be closed Monday and Tuesday, including the construction, purchasing, court, finance, tax collection, and clerk offices.

All Health, DPW, and Utility phone calls will be routed to the EOC and police will have extra staff available to man dispatch phones.

Madison public schools, St. Vincent Martyr School, Drew University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and the College of St. Elizabeth all are closed Monday and Tuesday. The library is closed Monday and Tuesday and the Madison Area YMCA announced it is closed on Monday and likely will be closed Tuesday.

The memo said utility crews are ready, though residents will need to be patient if their power is lost during the height of the storm because employees will not be sent out during high winds.

Additional lineman crews and a tree service crew are on call.

All DPW, fire and police equipment, generators and pumps have been checked and are ready, and multiple DPW leaf pickup crews were dispatched on Saturday and Sunday to clear leaves ahead of the storm to improve drainage, the memo said.

A shelter is scheduled to open at the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps at 9 a.m. Monday and will be manned by Health Department staff. It is meant for residents only as a last resort.

Garbage pickup is suspended for Monday and Tuesday, and a charging station for those who lose power will be available in the public safety building.

Madison set up a Hurricane Sandy page on RoseNet.org with useful information for residents.

PHONE NUMBERS TO CALL
1) EMERGENCIES: Call 911. Please reserve 911 for calls concerning bodily injury or other serious emergency.
2) Emergency Operations Center: Starting Monday at 6am, please call 973-408-8787 for sheltering needs, flooding, basement pump out, downed trees and other storm related issues.  If no response, please call the Madison Police Department non-emergency line at 973-593-3000.
3) Power Outage:  Call 973-966-7330.