Bad Timing, Forecasts Hurt Essex County In Snowstorm: Official

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Bad timing and wacky weather forecasts. That’s what contributed to icy and treacherous roads across Essex County during Thursday’s snowstorm, according to the county executive.

After crashes were seen across the county on Nov. 15 and impassable roadways stranded school buses in multiple towns, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. issued a statement about the county’s response to the mess the storm left behind.

• See related article: Crashes Reported Across Essex County As Snow Storm Mounts
• See related article: West Orange Students Trapped After Snow Stalls Buses (PHOTOS)

DiVincenzo’s full statement follows below:

“Yesterday’s snowstorm created havoc not just for Essex County, but the entire tri-state region. We relied on several different weather forecasts, all of which grossly underestimated the amount of snow we received. In addition, the arrival of the storm during the middle of the day could not have come at a worse time. As businesses and schools closed in mid-afternoon, the amount of traffic pouring into the streets made it impossible for salt trucks and plows to move. Our DPW has continued working through the night and this morning to clear snow from county thoroughfares. We applaud the extraordinary efforts of law enforcement and first responders who assisted stranded motorists, teachers who stayed with their students overnight in schools.”

Here's what some internet pundits had to say in reply:

• “All I hear is excuses and no accountability. This is New Jersey and it snows here. So much for ‘Putting Essex County First.’ They we’re predicting 4 to 6 inches on Wednesday. Kids in West Orange had to spend the night at Liberty Middle School. You and Murphy are a joke!”
• “Yes, there is a tremendous amount of gaslighting about the forecasts. The weather people actually got it right for once and everyone is trying to backtrack. If I were a meteorologist right now I 'd tell them where to stick that bus they were aiming at me! I was traveling by plane and watching very carefully, they called 5" on Wed night...this is lack of preparation plain and simple. Own it, learn, and move on.”
• “Usually a big supporter but this was a big failure! No salt, no plows, no traffic cops. Just people struggling all over, children stranded. This was apocalyptic!”

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Photo: Essex County (Joseph DiVincenzo Jr.)