Storm Impacts In West Orange: Schools, Jitney, Power, Garbage

This article was updated at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 17.

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange was among the New Jersey towns that made preparations and battened down the hatches in the face of a nor'easter predicted to cause heavy winds, snow and rain.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it was expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm was fierce enough to knock down power lines and cause power outages, forecasters said.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for New Jersey as some forecasters said a foot of snow may be headed to some areas of the state. Other areas could get winds as strong as 60-mph and heavy rain. READ MORE: Gov. Murphy Declares State Of Emergency For NJ Nor'easter Snow

WEST ORANGE TOWNSHIP

In West Orange, officials warned local residents to "be prepared" in a social media advisory on Monday.

"All reports are calling for an intense winter storm this Wednesday into Thursday," the West Orange Police Department stated. "Let’s all be smart and make every conceivable effort to stay home and stay safe!"

Mayor Robert Parisi offered an additional advisory via email on Tuesday.

"We are expecting the first significant snowfall of the season with the forecast projecting as much as a foot of snow, or more, beginning early tomorrow afternoon," Parisi said.

The mayor offered some storm-related tips for West Orange residents:

• All residents with Wednesday morning garbage and recycling pickup should place all material at the curb this evening as collection will begin earlier than usual tomorrow to allow time to complete pickup prior to the arrival of the snow. It is likely that Thursday’s morning pickup will be cancelled and residents should look for updates tomorrow.
• The commuter jitney will operate for the morning commute but riders should look for updates during the day as the storm may require Wednesday afternoon, as well as Thursday’s routes, to be canceled.
• All power outages should be reported to PSE&G by calling 1-800-436-7734 or by texting OUT…O-U-T…to 47734.
• For updates during the storm check out the township website at www.westorange.org or the township’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/westorangeinfo

"We remind all residents to stay home and off the roads once the snow fall begins," Parisi said. "If possible, please do not park on municipal roads as parked cars make it more difficult to clear the streets. Be patient … it will take time to properly clear the roads from this storm."

Some West Orange businesses, such as Bagels By Jarrett, have already started to make plans for a stormy week.

"As of now we are open Wednesday, closed Thursday, and open Friday, Saturday and Sunday," the business stated.

WEST ORANGE SCHOOLS

In the West Orange Public School District, superintendent Scott Cascone offered the community an update on the current "inclement weather" policy. Read the full message here.

Cascone wrote:

"As we enter the winter season, we must prepare for the possibility of inclement weather and understand the situations that may affect daily schedules. Once the hybrid cohort begins, should it be necessary to close the buildings due to inclement weather, the notification will be distributed using the standard protocol via School Messenger and social media as we can easily go from in-person learning to fully remote instruction for unsafe weather conditions. Due to the circumstances this year, our District will not conduct a delayed opening schedule for inclement weather and in the event the conditions prevent access to our buildings, the virtual instruction day will take place as scheduled. Whether in hybrid or virtual, our ability to provide instruction is dependent on power and internet service. Therefore it is prudent to reserve the 3 emergency days for these contingencies. In the case where snow accumulation would typically warrant a delayed start, we now will simply transfer to fully remote learning. Until such time and while instruction is being done virtually, the notification will be addressed for faculty and staff with the recommendation to instruct from home."

COUNTY ROADS

Live on a county-maintained road in West Orange? Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. and Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura asked that residents refrain from parking on those streets from Wednesday to Thursday.

The pair of officials stated:

“Keeping the roads open will make it easier to remove snow and enable public works crews to plow from curb to curb. Weather forecasts indicate a significant snowstorm will arrive Wednesday afternoon and continue through Thursday morning. The heavy snow may cause tree limbs and electrical to break.”

DiVincenzo and Fontoura warned residents to not touch live wires or drive near them.

ACROSS NEW JERSEY

State officials said they have more than 400 pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus outbreak.

AccuWeather is saying the system could be the "most significant winter storm in several years," one that could potentially become highly impactful and disruptive as the first round of coronavirus vaccines continue to be shipped around the country.

AccuWeather is warning of major disruptions to travel and even travel shutdowns, as well as shipping delays, school closings and power outages from this "blockbuster storm," – even though a number of New Jersey school districts have said they'll opt to go remote instead of closing.

The latest weather forecast includes:

• Wednesday night- Rain and snow, then rain after midnight. The rain, snow, and sleet could be heavy at times. Low around 29. Windy, with an east wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
• Thursday - Snow likely, mainly before 9 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half-inch possible.

This article contains reporting by Tom Davis, Patch staff

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