This week marks the first anniversary of the storm that rocked River Dell and all of Northern New Jersey to its bones. It pulled trees from their roots, flooded streets and cars, caused people to be evacuated from their homes by emergency services, and left so many without power. After Irene blew through New Jersey in August 2011, Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. For those at the  Steuben Arms apartments near the Hackensack River, many residents were evacuated prior to Irene hitting as a precaution and being placed at Bergen Community …

Hurricane Irene struck the state last week, and dealt catastrophic, and sometimes fatal damage to communities across New Jersey. In Lawrence, rescuers found the body of a man on Tuesday who was sucked down a manhole. Cesar Ortiz, 50, was trying to clear floodwater from his landscaping supply company. Princeton EMT Michael Kenwood was laid to rest in Paramus on Wednesday after he was killed during an attempted water rescue during Hurricane Irene. First responders from across the state paid tribute to Kenwood, an East Windsor resident. Kenwood died in Princeton, while he and another EMT were …

County leaders took to the streets Monday to talk with weary residents and begin assessing the scope of Irene’s destruction, as some Bergen towns braced for more flooding and thousands remained without power across the area. Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, emergency management head Dwane Razzetti and county freeholders toured hard-hit areas in Lyndurst, Rutherford, Fair Lawn, Lodi and Hillsdale. They were met by frustrated and angry residents along the way, most notably in Lyndhurst, which has seen perhaps the worst flooding in its history. “I can’t stay in my house and I have a …

The good news for most residents is that the Hackensack River has continued to drop back down below 8-feet. The river reached its highest point on Sunday at 7:30pm when it crested at 11.84-feet.  More good news for commuters is that the Pascack Valley line on NJ Transit would resume normal schedules for Tuesday's commute.  Pascack Valley Line trains are expected to operate on a regular weekday schedule Tuesday. NJ Transit said those who normally transfer at Secaucus for service to New York can instead go to Hoboken to connect with the PATH at no additional charge. Bus service will also …

The rain is gone, but with power still out in RiverDell, businesses along Kinderkamack Road in both towns are closed for the time being - only the Oradell Farmer's Market and River Edge Diner had their doors open. PSE&G trucks were spotted throughout the area with employees working to restore power to the 1,000 and 4,000 homeowners still waiting for electricity. Restoration of full power in all areas of River Edge and Oradell has been estimated to take until Sept. 4. Traveling along Kinderkamack Road will result in traffic backing up because traffic lights from Soldier Hill Road to New …

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For those River Edge and Oradell residents still without power, bad news has continued. PSE&G may not be able to restore electric to all homes until Sept. 4. Even the River Edge Police Department is continuing to use a generator for power. The good news is that the Hackensack River in New Milford, which reached a staggering height of 11.84 feet, has fallen to 9-feet by 8 a.m. and will continue to drop throughout the day. "There is no new flooding and we're just waiting for the water to go down," Oradell Officer John Campbell told Patch. "The Oradell Avenue Bridge will remain closed until the …

Even as Irene moved out of the area, Bergen County officials warned of rising waters and the possibility of heavy flooding through Monday. A flood warning remained in effect for the area until Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. Flood waters were being blamed for knocking out power to several Bergen towns. A power substation in Hillsdale was "underwater,” said Jeanne Baratta, chief of staff in the county executive’s office. The substation flood brought down power in towns including Ho-Ho-Kus, Washington Township, Old Tappan, Paramus and Ridgewood, Baratta. Another …

Picking up the pieces after a natural disaster can be difficult – especially if your property’s had heavy damage. Even if your home has beenproperly insured, there are still steps that need to be taken to ensure a timely response from your insurance company. Here’s some advice from the New York Insurance Department: The first thing you should do is notify your insurance company of the loss. Although you can do this by telephone, the New York Insurance Department recommends following up in writing to create a paper trail. Remember to notify your insurer, not the broker who sold you the policy…

Just before midnight on Sunday, the water level at the Hackensack River in New Milford began to drop closer to 11-feet. Since 10:30pm on Sunday, the river was measuring just under 12-feet by a few inches. There is still a chance the reservoir will overflow during the night leading to more flooding in Oradell and River Edge. And an 8pm curfew for Oradell residents for Monday will remain in place, according to the Oradell Office of Emergency Management. After the New Milford substation was knocked out by flooding, both the Oradell and River Edge police departments are running on generators. …

After this morning's brush with Hurricane Irene, the borough of Oradell has faired relatively well. While several branches have come down onto the sidewalks, the biggest test will come later as flooding continues. Already, manhole covers on Oradell Avenue are being pushed up by excessive water and sewage and the Hackensack River is resting just below the walkway at the Elm Street Bridge. At 2pm, the Hackensack River was measured at 8.45 feet, just slightly over the moderate flood stage level. The record flood level for the river is 12.4 feet.

River Edge and Oradell residents coped with widespread power outages Sunday as Hurricane Irene made its way up the Jersey Shore.More than 5,000 River Edge residents and 2,000 Oradell residents were without power Sunday, among more than 390,000 PSE&G customers statewide who lost electricity.The utility announced in a statement on its website that power restoration could take several days to a week. PSE&G said many of the outages were caused by falling trees and branches.PSE&G also warned of possible gas outages caused by the heavy wind and rain.In a 6:24 a.m. update, the National Weather …

The tornado watch has been lifted, but Hurricane Irene's onslaught continues throughout the Jersey Shore on Sunday. Damaging winds and heavy rains associated with the storm eventually led to thousands of customers being left without electricity in Monmouth and Ocean counties.  As of about 3 a.m., there were nearly 50,000 JCP&L customers without power in Monmouth and 22,000 without power in Ocean, plus at least 12,000 Atlantic City Electric customers in Ocean without power as well. Officials said to expect those numbers to rise significantly as the most powerful part of the storm moved though …

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North Jersey residents are expected to wake up Sunday to an angry Irene pounding on their door. As powerful Irene tore her way up the eastern seaboard Saturday,  residents from Cape May to Mahwah prepared for what could be the worst storm to hit the state in 50 years. “The tracking of the storm is ominous for New Jersey,” Gov. Chris Christie warned residents during an afternoon briefing. Evidence of the dire predictions surrounding Irene was easy to see around Bergen and Passaic counties, as worried residents swarmed gas stations, supermarkets and any place that sells batteries. Sunday …

With Hurricane Irene almost certain to batter New Jersey this weekend, the need for up-to-the minute info is even more important. At RiverDell Patch, we will be working around-the-clock to cover the storm, but as with of our reporting, the more interaction we get from users the more comprehensive our coverage will be. This is as much your site as it is ours. So in the wake of Irene, here’s how you can use Patch to help paint the local picture of the event.1. Get the news. When we know about storm-related news, so will you. From important announcements, to information about damages, power …

United Water said it had begun lowering the level of the Oradell Reservoir in advance of the heavy rainfall expected over the weekend. "They began drawing down the reservoir level yesterday—when full, the reservoir is at 23.16; it is currently at 21.39 and still dropping," said New Milford Mayor Ann Subrizi. Representatives for United Water met with local mayors, police chiefs and emergency management officers on Friday morning to discuss preparations for Hurricane Irene. River Edge residents that live in flood-prone areas have been asked to voluntarily evacuate their homes in advance of …

Some of the state's most hazardous facilities and toxic sites are located in flood-prone or low-lying areas, putting them at considerable risk to Hurricane Irene's wrath, the NJ Sierra Club said Friday. "We are concerned that many important parts of our infrastructure as well as many hazardous sites are in harm’s way," Sierra Club head Jeff Tittel said. "This hurricane could do a tremendous amount of damage to critical infrastructure and hazardous sites and facilities. This could be a natural disaster with the potential to be an environmental disaster as well." The group said that millions of…

Forecasters said Friday that Irene could be the most damaging hurricane to hit the east coast since Hazel in 1954. That prediction added to the grim picture AccuWeather forecasters painted on Thursday, as they called for 80 mph winds and up to a foot of rain as the storm's eyewall passes close to Manhattan. There was, however, a glimmer of hope from the National Weather Service, which lowered its rainfall and wind projections overnight. The NWS is now calling for between five and seven inches of rain for North Jersey and winds reaching 47mph. Flooding could be intensified, however, as New …

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