PASCACK VALLEY AREA—The Borough of Hillsdale needs to do more to educate residents — particularly new arrivals — about its evacuation procedures after Category 4 Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana and its remnants then chewed their way northeast, including through the flood-prone Pascack Valley.
That’s according to Mayor John Ruocco, who also told Pascack Press on Sept. 7 that the DPW building suffered damage in the flood and that recycling center is closed until further notice.
And in Park Ridge, the storm caused significant flooding. According to Mayor Keith Misciagna, “All of our fields sustained damage, most significantly Memorial Field and the playground at Memorial and Sulak Field.”
He said Park Ridge’s DPW and utility garages were flooded.
He thanked “our police, fire, DPW, utility, OEM and operations staff that worked through the night to keep us safe.”
Ida unfolded as the second-most-damaging and -intense hurricane ever to strike Louisiana in recorded history, behind Hurricane Katrina.
The storm fed tornadoes, and wrought catastrophic flooding in the Northeast from Sept. 1 to 3.
According to ReliefWeb, as of Sept. 7 a total of 98 deaths have been confirmed in relation to Ida, including 78 in the United States and 20 in Venezuela.
In the U.S., 27 deaths were in New Jersey, 20 in Louisiana, 19 in New York, 5 in Pennsylvania, 2 in Mississippi, 2 in Alabama, 1 in Maryland, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Connecticut. The storm also is blamed for 32 indirect deaths.
All 21 of New Jersey’s counties remain under a state of emergency in response to Tropical Storm Ida.
President Joe Biden has declared that a major disaster exists in the Garden State, making federal funding available to people affected by the storm in Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic, and Somerset counties.
The aid covers temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs designed to help people and business owners recover.
Bergen County residents and business owners can apply for disaster relief by visiting DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362).
Hillsdale hit; mayor worries about contamination
Hillsdale Mayor Ruocco told Pascack Press the DPW compound took a direct hit and that residents should place all recyclables on the curb for collection for now. “We lost some smaller equipment used for maintenance that will need to be replaced quickly.”
He explained recycling compactors were flooded and parts need to be replaced. “We have ordered them and are awaiting a delivery from Gaeta Recycling. As soon as we get the replacement parts, estimated to be next week,” the center can reopen.
He said curbside pickup of recyclables will continue as per the regular schedule.
He told Pascack Press, “Capital funds that the council set aside as a downpayment for a bond to finance a community center may not need to be reallocated. We might be able to use special emergency procedures to amend our budget to spend funds immediately or over a three-year horizon to replace capital equipment. This will be a council decision. I’m awaiting the recommendation of our BA and professionals.”
Of response crews and cleanup efforts, he said “I cannot say enough about our OEM, fire, and police staff, who responded to the challenge posed by Ida. While not as severe in Hillsdale as was Floyd and Irene, the sudden increase in water surge that occurred over a short period of time late Wednesday night into Thursday morning posed its own tactical challenge.”
He said that Hillsdale, no stranger to high water, suffered some of its worst flooding as the remnants of Hurricane Ida worked their way up the Northeast.
“The Pascack Brook overflowed its banks and the Glenbrook Park neighborhood took on several feet on water. Several families evacuated with the assistance of our Fire Department, Police Department, DPW, and OEM personnel,” Ruocco said.
He said “Some used our library as a refuge.” Ruocco said of the DPW compound, “Although we moved our equipment out of harm’s way beforehand, the garage was flooded.”
As well, he said, “Several streets in the center of town had to be closed but are being reopened as conditions permit.”
Other storm impacts in the borough, via Ruocco:
- The Kings shopping center was severely flooded.
- The St. John the Baptist Church property flooded “as it usually does in a heavy rainfall, but reportedly no water entered the church or school.”
- The industrial area flooded as the brook overflowed.
- “The town’s power grid did well, with few incidents of downed wires or trees.”
- Borough employees worked through the night and were getting well-deserved rest.
Asked about next steps, Ruocco told Pascack Press the borough administrator will gather key personnel to assess more completely the damage to the infrastructure and plan for recovery efforts.
“Our first concern is the health and welfare of our residents who were flooded in the Glendale Park neighborhood and along Hopkins Street. I also think that we will need to devote attention to cleaning up the debris that was washed up on the banks of the Pascack Brook, particularly in the area of St John’s property,” he said.
Ruocco said “Some of it may pose an environmental issue as there are barrels that have swept up from businesses north of the point where the brook bends near the SJB church.”
He added, “There is a tremendous amount of tree brush and limbs now anchored in the mud and poses an ensnarement risk.”
And he emphasized, “While we were able to get most of the [DPW] vehicles out of harm’s way, some could not be started and were thus flooded. If they are not replaced, this could affect our ability to collect leaves and plow snow.”
Ruocco said of the need for more information getting out on safety procedures, the storm “pointed out that we need to re-emphasize our evacuation procedures to new residents who did not recognize how quickly the threat of flooding could intensify.”