Coastal Flooding Subsides in New Jersey, Delaware After Winter Storm Jonas; No Major Damage Done, Officials Say

January 24,2016




 

Significant flooding caused by Winter Storm Jonas in parts of New Jersey and Delaware began to subside Sunday. Officials have reported that there was no major damage done in either state.

This recent bout of flooding was much less severe than the deluge that took place Saturday morning and left roads inundated and beaches eroded. 

"We have no concerns about flooding or damage from flooding anytime soon," New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told CNN on Sunday. He also praised his state's response to the blizzard. "Our folks listened to our warnings. They stayed in. We were prepared," Christie said.

Conditions also improved on the stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike where more than 500 vehicles were trapped at the height of Jonas. Sunday the roadway was finally fully reopened in both directions. Officials plan to do a full investigation into the cause of the gridlock.  

On Saturday morning, Great Channel and Stone Harbor, New Jersey, both broke flood records that were previously set during Superstorm Sandy. Delaware Bay at Cape May also reported record flooding, rising above its Sandy total.

New Jersey

New Jersey Transit resumed at 11 a.m. Sunday, restoring bus and rail services.

Superintendent Marcia Lyles and the Jersey City Board of Education have canceled public schools for Monday. A full list of school closings can be found here. 

At the Cape May Harbor, a new record high tide was registered. The old record, which happened during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, was 8.67’. The high tide registered at 9.26’ during the high tide Saturday morning. Lewes, Delaware also set a new record high tide.

The roof of a Trader Joe’s grocery store in Westfield partially caved in Saturday afternoon, NBC New York reported. About a foot of snow had fallen on Westfield at the time of the collapse.
Code Blue has been activated throughout the state to open up warming stations for residents.
Utility companies are reporting that almost 12,000 customers remain without power as of Sunday afternoon. Officials say that most customers should have power res
Over 28 inches of snow fell in Newark, even more than the 26 inches seen in Central Park.

Pennsylvania

Traffic was at a standstill on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Bedford, Pennsylvania, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016.
(AP Photo/Michael Watkins)

As of Sunday, the stretch of Pennsylvania turnpike where more than 500 vehicles were trapped at the height of Jonas has been fully reopened in both directions. Spokesman Carl DeFebo says the eastbound lanes in Somerset County were opened Sunday afternoon and the westbound lanes were opened shortly before 5 p.m.
At the height of Winter Storm Jonas, more than 500 cars, trucks and buses — including two university sports teams and a church group — became stranded in a miles-long backup Friday night. The gridlock occurred after tractor-trailers jackknifed into each other as they tried to climb through the mountains toward the Allegheny tunnels.

Turnpike officials are vowing an extensive review of the situation and response.

Amongst the stranded vehicles were buses carrying the Duquesne University men's basketball team, the Temple women's gymnastics team and a church group returning from the March For Life in Washington D.C., who built an altar out of snow and held an impromptu mass.

A man in Reading died of carbon monoxide poisoning Saturday night after being trapped in his car by a snowplow deluge. According to Assistant Chief Deputy John Hollenbach, David Perrotto, 56, was either in the car with the motor running to take a break or to get out of the parking space when the snow plow came and buried the car, blocking the exhaust and trapping him.

In Montgomery County, a man died while shoveling snow from Winter Storm Jonas in Lower Providence Township near Philadelphia Saturday, WCAU reported Saturday. Authorities have not revealed the 88-year-old man’s identity or an exact cause of death.

Pennsylvania saw 38.3 inches of snow near Greencastle inches of snow were reported in Philadelphia, and over 30 were seen in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

Delaware

Emergency management officials say there are no reports of serious issues or injuries from Sunday's additional coastal flooding caused by Jonas.
Sunday morning Governor Jack Markell downgraded the enforced driving restriction to a Level 1, meaning anyone operating a vehicle must use extra caution and all non-essential employees, both public and private, are encouraged not to drive unless there is a significant safety, health or business reason.

On Sunday, Delaware Governor Jack Markell issued an Executive Order ending the statewide State of Emergency at midnight.
“I am grateful to all of the DelDOT employees, law enforcement, National Guard members, health care providers, and others who worked hard to keep people safe over the weekend while preparing the state for the beginning of the work week in challenging conditions,” said Governor Markell. “I also thank all of the Delawareans who stayed off the roads as much as possible, limiting safety issues and allowing our plows to operate more efficiently.”
After closing between Dewey Beach and the Indian River Inlet Bridge due to flooding, Route 1 fully reopened late Sunday afternoon. Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said they will further evaluate the impact of the Winter Storm Jonas in the coming days.
The storm hit Delaware hard early Saturday, with the National Weather Service announcing widespread coastal flooding for Sussex County.
Firefighters had to evacuate about a dozen people from the low-lying community of Oak Orchard, which tends to flood during storms.
Officials reported numerous dune breaches along the coast and significant flooding in low-lying communities around the inland bays. More than 5,000 homes and businesses lost power.
The Delaware City Refinery also lost power Saturday and released pollutants. Environmental officials said there were no harmful levels of pollutants detected at the fence line of the facility, or downwind from it.
County spokesman Chip Guy said high tide at  Lewes at 8 a.m. was recorded at 9.2 feet, just shy of the previous record of 9.22 feet set during the March 1962 nor'easter.