Photo by Jordan Coll / SOC Images.
After nearly a 15-hour ascension of a blizzard in Hudson County, New Jersey lifted its mandatory travel restriction Monday afternoon amidst a historic blizzard. Still, officials are urging drivers to remain off the roads as hazardous conditions persist across parts of the state.
The ban, which took effect at 9 p.m. Sunday, was lifted at noon Monday, under Gov. Mikie Sherill’s state directive.
Hudson County’s Response To The Blizzard
Hudson County received between “18 to 26 inches of snow across the region,” which is “quite a bit of snow, in a short little amount of time,” said Edoardo Ferrante Jr., director of the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), who spoke to Slice of Culture in an interview.
He said the county could potentially expect two to five inches of additional snow. Northern parts of the state are forecast to receive between 18 and 30 inches of snow, with the Jersey Shore expected to bear the brunt of the storm’s fury.
“We are seeing varying reports right now in the county,” Ferrante added, with Hudson County, which borders New York City, reported more than 2,500 utility customers without power as the storm intensified this past Sunday night.
The county’s Office of Emergency Management coordinated with PSE&G—confirmed to Slice of Culture—which mobilized 3,000 personnel statewide to respond to outages and had restored power to an estimated 4,600 customers by Monday morning, according to the utility’s company site.
As of Monday afternoon, Ferrante said no major power outages or significant road closures had been reported across the county.
The Hudson County Roads and Public Property Department, led by Director Denise D’Alessandro, has mobilized more than 50 pieces of equipment and operators to tackle snow removal and road clearing operations across the county, according to Mark Cygan, the county’s communications director who provided an email statement to Slice of Culture on an inquiry on the county’s response efforts to the ongoing blizzard.
In tandem with the county’s snow operations, Hudson County Parks Department—under the direction of Director Jonathan DeFilippo—has deployed an additional 25 pieces of equipment and operators to assist with cleanup throughout the county’s park system and surrounding areas.
The Hudson County Office of Emergency Management, which now operates under the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, has been fully activated in response to the storm.
Officials have been working in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, PSE&G, local water company Veolia and municipalities across the county to ensure snow operations are being met by the county, they told Slice of Culture.
Residents are encouraged to stay off the roads where possible and allow crews the space needed to complete their work safely and efficiently.
“If you travel on dangerous roads and need assistance–you will tie up crews that could be used to keep the streets clear. Stay off the roads,” posted Jersey City Mayor James Solomon on social media.
Hoboken’s OEM declared a State of Emergency and a travel advisory effective Sunday at noon. The Division of Public Works pre-treated city roads ahead of the storm. Snow emergency routes were activated and enforced as soon as roads became snow-covered, with vehicles subject to ticketing and towing.
In a recent Nixle text sent to Slice of Culture, the city issued a travel ban until 4 p.m. today.
Residents were given six hours after the storm’s conclusion to clear sidewalks adjacent to their properties. The Fire Department urged residents near hydrants to clear a three-foot path around them. Hoboken warned residents that power outages were possible and urged them to charge all devices in advance.
Jersey City closed its public schools Monday ahead of the storm. The Jersey City social media account confirmed a power outage in the Heights neighborhood and PSE&G was actively working to restore service. Garbage collection for Monday is suspended. All other Hudson County public schools were also closed on Monday.
In an email circulated to parents and staff, sent out by the Jersey City Public Schools Superintendent Norma Fernandez, it stated classes will be closed tomorrow.
All other Hudson County public schools will also be closed tomorrow, Feb. 24 due to the snow. Check your school district website for more information.
North Bergen, Weehawken, Secaucus, Kearny, Harrison, East Newark and Guttenberg Municipalities’ Blizzard Responses
These Hudson County municipalities operated under the statewide State of Emergency declared by Gov. Sherrill, urging residents to comply with travel restrictions. No individual formal OEM statements from these townships were publicly issued at the time of this report.
Additionally, residents were directed to report power outages to their utility providers and monitor official municipal channels for updates.
Forecasters at the National Weather Prediction Center warn that blowing and drifting snow will dramatically reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less in many areas, while wind gusts are expected to reach up to 60 mph—conditions that could make travel not just difficult, but life-threatening.
Several Hudson County municipalities did not issue formal public OEM statements for this storm.
Travel Advisories For NJ Transit And PATH
As of 4:02 p.m. Monday, the PATH’s most recent update said that lines Journal Square-World Trade Center, Newark-Journal Square and Hoboken-World Trade Center are suspended.
Operating lines include Grove Street-33rd Street via Hoboken and Hoboken-33rd Street. There is a shuttle train between Journal Square to Grove Street. New York Waterway is cross-honoring PATH passengers every 15 minutes at Hoboken and Brookfield Place.
If you’re looking to travel tomorrow, stay up to date on the app or website.
For NJ Transit, all rail, bus, light rail and Access Link services are suspended. They will remain suspended until conditions “allow for a safe gradual resumption.”
Riders are encouraged to visit njtransit.com for up-to-date information, use the NJ Transit app or follow any of your local travel routes, which can be found here under “Travel Advice.”
What Happened In The January Snowstorm?
On Jan. 25, Hudson County was hit with a snowstorm—the first major one in awhile—that left roughly 10 inches. While the municipalities made early announcements for residents to stay home and off the roads so cleaning crews can do their jobs, many county residents took to social media to air out their complaints regarding salting the roads, plowing the roads, shoveling the sidewalks and crosswalks and more.
Before the snow hit, Jersey City began to prepare and placed three separate orders for salt amassing to 4,900 tons, on Dec. 29, Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, as stated by Jersey City Public Works Director Greg Kierce in response to residents’ complaints on the city’s snow removal.
It was later revealed, in the aftermath of the storm, that Jersey City did not receive its 4,900 tons of Morton Salt; they only received 650 tons, according to reporting by NJ.com. This was despite a press release stating that the city had a salt supply of 2,500 tons.
The Solomon administration made known to the public that over “2,500 tons” of salt were positioned onto three sites with independent contractors on standby to remedy snow removal.
The city’s Department of Public Works (DPW), handles snow removal with its own fleet of 85 salt spreaders and plow trucks for the roughly 200 miles of city-owned streets, as cited on the city’s website.
Plan Ahead And Keep Each Other Safe
Officials are advising residents to stay indoors, stock up on essential supplies and avoid all unnecessary travel as the storm approaches. Those in low-lying coastal areas are being asked to monitor flood advisories, as the combination of heavy snow, strong winds and storm surge could compound hazards along the shoreline.
Customers can report outages by contacting their provider directly.
- JCP&L customers should call 1-800-544-4877
- PSE&G customers can reach their provider at 1-800-436-7734
- Atlantic City Electric serves customers at 1-800-833-7476
- Rockland Electric can be reached at 1-877-434-4100
“Road conditions are extremely dangerous, and non-essential travel is prohibited throughout Hudson County,” according to a statement issued on a social media post by Craig Guy, Hudson County Executive. “Staying off the roads protects you, first responders and snow removal crews working to keep our community safe.”
Below, Slice of Culture has compiled a list of the Nixle alerts per municipality for readers to sign up with real time updates.
- Jersey City
- Bayonne
- East Newark
- Guttenberg
- Harrison
- Hoboken
- Kearny
- North Bergen
- Secaucus
- Weehawken
- West New York
For more resources including warming centers, places to park your car and more, you can visit the following:
- Jersey City Public Parking Lots (under “Public Parking Lots”)
- Hudson County Warming Centers
- North Bergen Warming Centers
- West New York Warming Centers
- Jersey City Heat and Hot water assistance
- Hoboken Shelter is open 24/7
“The snow was pretty heavy and we haven’t seen this kind of snow in about 10 years.”
– Glenn Zarmanov, a longtime Jersey City resident.
In an interview with Slice of Culture, Zarmanov said the blizzard took him back to Jersey City’s snowfall in 1993.
“I am seeing people working together as neighbors, I think people were more prepared this time around than a couple of weeks ago.”
You can stay up to date with your municipality’s snow removal schedules and other important advisories by visiting their official social media accounts or websites.
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