MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — It was a crazy weekend. A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey, temperatures dropped and the snow forecast changed hour by hour — in most cases going up! The blizzard, which hit late at night on Jan. 22, and kept up until early morning on Jan. 24, dumped nearly 30 inches of snow on us.
And the storm wasn’t just bad for Essex County. Slamming the East Coast, the storm affected people from Georgia to Massachusetts. This record-breaking storm was the largest snowstorm ever recorded in three cities: Baltimore, which got 29.2 inches; Allentown, Pa., which got 31.9 inches; and Harrisburg, Pa., which got 34 inches. This storm marked the first time a single storm dumped more than two feet on Baltimore and New York City. Also, according to the National Weather Service, Shepherdstown, W.Va., wins — or loses, depending on how you look at it — with 42 inches of snow.
This massive storm was even visible from the International Space Station, with NASA Capt. Scott Kelly, a West Orange hometown hero, tweeting a picture of the storm from space.
Closer to home, though, residents got to experience what a full day of nonstop snow can do. Many New Jersey residents lost power, though it was restored a short time later.
According to PSE&G spokeswoman Brooke Houston, from late Friday night through early evening on Sunday, “all-told (PSE&G) had 5,700 outages in the New Jersey coverage area,” she said in a Jan. 25 phone conversation. With 2.2 million customers, this number could have been worse. Houston also said that, during a peak outage time, there were 1,000 outages. Individual numbers for towns were not available by press time Jan. 26.
Countywide, several attractions were closed Saturday in an effort to keep people off the roads. Essex County also issued a Code Blue, which was in effect from Jan. 22 at 5 p.m. through Jan. 25 at 9 a.m. Code Blues are called when the temperature drops below 15 degrees for a 48-hour period or when the wind chill is below 0 degrees, according to the county. Once the code is declared, a network of warming stations operated by the county and its municipalities are opened at various community-based buildings.
“Providing our homeless residents with a warm place to stay during extreme weather conditions is important for their safety and well-being,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said in a Jan. 22 release. “We thank our participating shelters and warming stations who are working with us to open their doors in these times of need.”
“Our homeless residents need a warm place to stay when winter weather gets this bad,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said in the release. “The organizations opening their doors are providing a great service and helping us protect the safety of these vulnerable residents.”
The county did not set up any warming centers in Maplewood and South Orange.
And, although the snow has stopped falling, the towns are now stuck with a large cleanup job.
Both Maplewood and South Orange had prohibitions against street parking to allow their public works departments the time and space needed to remove snow from roadways. Vehicles not following the parking ban were threatened with tickets and tows. This plowing work is ongoing, as both towns are still dealing with the massive snowfall, as a proper plowing job takes time.
Even with all the work being done to clear the roadways, many have been narrowed due to the buildup of snow on the sides, so residents are urged take care when driving. Proceed slowly and be mindful of other cars on the road.
According to South Orange Village Administrator Barry Lewis Jr., the village did not suffer any significant damage to any public facilities or village infrastructure.
“South Orange used approximately 200 tons of salt during the storm and we will continue salting as and where necessary to avoid refreezing,” Lewis said in an email.
Additionally, Lewis told the News-Record that the South Orange Police Department responded to a number of stranded-motorist issues during the storm, but received no reports of serious accidents. The South Orange Rescue Squad responded to 12 calls during the storm for various medical issues and the South Orange Fire Department, which assisted the SORS and stranded motorists, also provided mutual aid to an apartment fire in Orange.
According to Maplewood Director of Public Works Calvin Bell, the township used approximately 40 tons of salt.
“Significant usage was not required due to the relatively higher temperatures,” Bell said in an email.
Bell also told the News-Record that, while no buildings were injured in the storm, three plow mechanisms were damaged, though only one was put out of service.
According to Maplewood Police Chief Robert Cimino, police documented two motor vehicle accidents and 17 medical assistance calls. Due to constraints, it is unknown how many of those medical calls were related to storm issues, such as exhaustion from shoveling or being unable to acquire medicine.
The hazardous road conditions also prompted school closures. The South Orange-Maplewood School District closed schools Monday, Jan. 25, though reopened them Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Be ready for the next snowstorm with plenty of supplies. Remember that it is illegal to dump snow from a driveway or sidewalk into the street — fines are issued for this. Residents with fire hydrants in front of their homes are asked to dig them out to aid fire departments in quick access in case of a fire emergency. When shoveling, be sure to take breaks and ask for help if needed.