Post by BrianSullivan on Mar 26, 2010 7:24:31 GMT -5
newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2010-03-24/Front_Page/March_13_rain_windstorm_taxed_Freehold_to_the_max.html
March 13 rain, windstorm taxed Freehold to the max
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Downed trees, downed power lines, branches strewn along streets, flooded basements, and darkened homes and businesses characterized Freehold Borough on March 13 as torrential rains and high winds pummeled western Monmouth County.
According to Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator Hank Stryker III, sustained high winds and soaking rains plowed through a town that already had saturated soil, wreaking havoc on borough streets. Damage included trees falling on homes — the most severe incident occurred at a home on Mechanic Street — and widespread power outages that at one point left 50 percent of the borough without power.
Published reports subsequently indicated that 5 inches of rain fell on Freehold Borough.
Downtown shops and restaurants were forced to close due to a lack of power, while municipal officials, law enforcement officers, firefighters, first aid squad members and public works employees assessed, mon- itored and tried to contain the damages over a 24-hour period.
Stryker said at one point the Freehold Borough Police Department, the Rug Mill Towers apartment complex, the Hudson Manor senior residence and the Brookside assisted living facility were without power and running on emergency generators.
East Main Street and the downtown area were also without power as were residences
on Stokes Street, Barkalow Avenue and Helen Avenue, and some homes on South Street and Broad Street.
“Power outages were spread all over town,” Stryker said. “Many trees were down and many transformers failed.”
He said the soaking rain added to the ground that was already saturated and many trees did not snap, but came right up from the ground, leaving giant holes behind and causing havoc where they fell.
No residents were evacuated, but some locations did not have power back for 48 hours, Stryker reported.
Freehold Borough police Capt. Glenn Roberts said all of the department’s officers were called in during the storm to be on duty and to attend to the numerous 911 calls that were coming into headquarters.
Roberts said large trees struck homes, including a home at the corner of Lincoln Place and South Street, a home on Mechanic Street, a home on Stillwell Place and a home on Jackson Terrace.
“We also had four telephone poles snap and numerous transformer wires down. Our traffic lights were also out,” the captain said, adding that the traffic lights at Park Avenue and Main Street, at Park Avenue and South Street, and at Route 9 and Route 537 were out at one point or another.
“The traffic light at East Main Street and Broadway was the worst,” he said, noting that the light was not functioning again until 3:30 p.m. March 15. “We had two police officers there at the light directing traffic 24/7 from the time it went out until the power was restored.”
He said the police had serious concerns about the borough’s senior population, especially residents of the Brookside assisted living facility on Manalapan Avenue. The facility had no power until March 15.
“They had a generator which gave them a small amount of power in common areas,” Roberts said. “We were also worried about Hudson Manor which also had a generator to provide power to the main lobby and other common areas. We brought the residents who need oxygen into the main room downstairs.”
According to Roberts, Sgt. Andrew De- Muth spearheaded an effort that included checking on the residents of Hudson Manor all day and all night to make sure they were safe.
“We knocked on every door to make sure they were all OK,” he said.
That effort continued until power was restored to the apartment building.
Roberts said employees of the Ohio Edison power company came from Ohio to Freehold Borough to help restore power to the town.
“It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen in the 17 years I have been a police officer,” Roberts said. “We all worked as a team to get things done.”
Roberts commended Sgt. Michael Sweetman and Patrolman Chris Colaner, who he said were both responsible for organizing and coordinating the storm response effort.
“They did a fantastic job,” the captain said.
Freehold Fire Department Chief Jack Reichman said the department responded to 92 calls on March 13-14, during the storm and after it as well.
“Calls started coming in around 10:30 a.m. (March 13) and it got much worse after 2 p.m. The next day we had mostly floodrelated calls,” Reichman said.
He said the fire department pumped out 22 basements of homes on Barkalow Avenue, four or five basements of homes on Helen Avenue, and four or five basements of homes on Lincoln Place.
Reichman said many firefighters came out to assist in whatever way they could. That assistance included manning fire trucks on streets where wires were down.
“It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen here,” Reichman said. “Thank God we didn’t have any fires to deal with in addition to the wires, water and winds.”
Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina praised the volunteers and called them “champs.”
“They were out there for over 24 hours and expended yeoman efforts pumping 25 to 30 basements for the folks who had no power to generate their sump pumps. Our police were on top of it all and after the first news reports came in, our streets and roads workers were out there when the first limbs fell,” he said.
Bellina said he believes the March 13 storm will go down in history as the “hurricane with no name.”
“I think everyone’s nerves have been frazzled this winter, which has seen the perpetual action of storms one after another without a break, so this one knocked us off our feet. Somebody’s fury has taken aim at our area this winter and we will all breathe a sigh of relief when we see a sustained spring with no rain,” he said.
Bellina said the cost of the March 13 storm to Freehold Borough was $15,000 in overtime pay and about $10,000 for tree removal, so far.
March 13 rain, windstorm taxed Freehold to the max
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Downed trees, downed power lines, branches strewn along streets, flooded basements, and darkened homes and businesses characterized Freehold Borough on March 13 as torrential rains and high winds pummeled western Monmouth County.
According to Office of Emergency Management (OEM) coordinator Hank Stryker III, sustained high winds and soaking rains plowed through a town that already had saturated soil, wreaking havoc on borough streets. Damage included trees falling on homes — the most severe incident occurred at a home on Mechanic Street — and widespread power outages that at one point left 50 percent of the borough without power.
Published reports subsequently indicated that 5 inches of rain fell on Freehold Borough.
Downtown shops and restaurants were forced to close due to a lack of power, while municipal officials, law enforcement officers, firefighters, first aid squad members and public works employees assessed, mon- itored and tried to contain the damages over a 24-hour period.
Stryker said at one point the Freehold Borough Police Department, the Rug Mill Towers apartment complex, the Hudson Manor senior residence and the Brookside assisted living facility were without power and running on emergency generators.
East Main Street and the downtown area were also without power as were residences
on Stokes Street, Barkalow Avenue and Helen Avenue, and some homes on South Street and Broad Street.
“Power outages were spread all over town,” Stryker said. “Many trees were down and many transformers failed.”
He said the soaking rain added to the ground that was already saturated and many trees did not snap, but came right up from the ground, leaving giant holes behind and causing havoc where they fell.
No residents were evacuated, but some locations did not have power back for 48 hours, Stryker reported.
Freehold Borough police Capt. Glenn Roberts said all of the department’s officers were called in during the storm to be on duty and to attend to the numerous 911 calls that were coming into headquarters.
Roberts said large trees struck homes, including a home at the corner of Lincoln Place and South Street, a home on Mechanic Street, a home on Stillwell Place and a home on Jackson Terrace.
“We also had four telephone poles snap and numerous transformer wires down. Our traffic lights were also out,” the captain said, adding that the traffic lights at Park Avenue and Main Street, at Park Avenue and South Street, and at Route 9 and Route 537 were out at one point or another.
“The traffic light at East Main Street and Broadway was the worst,” he said, noting that the light was not functioning again until 3:30 p.m. March 15. “We had two police officers there at the light directing traffic 24/7 from the time it went out until the power was restored.”
He said the police had serious concerns about the borough’s senior population, especially residents of the Brookside assisted living facility on Manalapan Avenue. The facility had no power until March 15.
“They had a generator which gave them a small amount of power in common areas,” Roberts said. “We were also worried about Hudson Manor which also had a generator to provide power to the main lobby and other common areas. We brought the residents who need oxygen into the main room downstairs.”
According to Roberts, Sgt. Andrew De- Muth spearheaded an effort that included checking on the residents of Hudson Manor all day and all night to make sure they were safe.
“We knocked on every door to make sure they were all OK,” he said.
That effort continued until power was restored to the apartment building.
Roberts said employees of the Ohio Edison power company came from Ohio to Freehold Borough to help restore power to the town.
“It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen in the 17 years I have been a police officer,” Roberts said. “We all worked as a team to get things done.”
Roberts commended Sgt. Michael Sweetman and Patrolman Chris Colaner, who he said were both responsible for organizing and coordinating the storm response effort.
“They did a fantastic job,” the captain said.
Freehold Fire Department Chief Jack Reichman said the department responded to 92 calls on March 13-14, during the storm and after it as well.
“Calls started coming in around 10:30 a.m. (March 13) and it got much worse after 2 p.m. The next day we had mostly floodrelated calls,” Reichman said.
He said the fire department pumped out 22 basements of homes on Barkalow Avenue, four or five basements of homes on Helen Avenue, and four or five basements of homes on Lincoln Place.
Reichman said many firefighters came out to assist in whatever way they could. That assistance included manning fire trucks on streets where wires were down.
“It was one of the worst storms I have ever seen here,” Reichman said. “Thank God we didn’t have any fires to deal with in addition to the wires, water and winds.”
Borough Administrator Joseph Bellina praised the volunteers and called them “champs.”
“They were out there for over 24 hours and expended yeoman efforts pumping 25 to 30 basements for the folks who had no power to generate their sump pumps. Our police were on top of it all and after the first news reports came in, our streets and roads workers were out there when the first limbs fell,” he said.
Bellina said he believes the March 13 storm will go down in history as the “hurricane with no name.”
“I think everyone’s nerves have been frazzled this winter, which has seen the perpetual action of storms one after another without a break, so this one knocked us off our feet. Somebody’s fury has taken aim at our area this winter and we will all breathe a sigh of relief when we see a sustained spring with no rain,” he said.
Bellina said the cost of the March 13 storm to Freehold Borough was $15,000 in overtime pay and about $10,000 for tree removal, so far.