PASCACK VALLEY AREA — Strong storms that moved through Bergen County on Saturday night, July 4, left downed trees, scattered outages, transformer and generator fires, and traffic-signal problems in parts of the Pascack Valley, and forced the cancellation or postponement of some holiday fireworks displays.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Bergen County from noon Sunday, July 5, through 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 7. Forecasters say 2 to 4 inches of rain are possible, and residents in flood-prone areas are urged to prepare for the potential of flooding.
In the Township of Washington, Mayor Peter Calamari said the storm brought heavy rain and strong winds between approximately 7 and 10 p.m., according to OEM Coordinator and Police Sgt. Clayton Kenny. Numerous trees and large branches came down, causing outages throughout the township, primarily in the southern section of town.
Police responded to 28 storm-related calls, including fallen trees, transformer fires, portable-generator malfunctions, and one incident in which a tree struck a residence, causing minor structural damage to the front entryway.
The traffic signal at Pascack Road and Ridgewood Road lost power during the storm, and temporary stop signs were deployed until power was restored. Calamari said the township has begun upgrading the intersection with battery backup and supplemental power in coordination with the County Signal Department.
The Township of Washington Fire Department responded to four storm-related incidents, including a generator fire extinguished by the homeowner, a carbon monoxide alarm likely related to the outages, and a report of a pole fire that was determined to involve downed wires. Firefighters later assisted Hillsdale at a working structure fire, remaining on scene until about 12:30 a.m.
Calamari said the vast majority of reported power outages in the township appeared to have been restored as of Sunday morning.
Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali said about 30 homes on Westmoreland and Forest Avenue remained without power as of Sunday morning. Orange & Rockland Utilities estimated service would be restored by 11 p.m. Sunday.
Ghassali said no homes were damaged by fallen trees, though numerous branches remained down throughout the area. He again urged residents to stay off the roads unless travel was necessary and to avoid any downed power lines.
The mayor also said the storm caused a power outage at the Haworth Treatment Plant, which briefly raised concerns about possible water-service disruptions for some North Jersey customers. As of Sunday morning, he said the treatment plant was back online.
Separately, reports also came in of a large electrical fire on Broadway near the Hillsdale/Woodcliff Lake border, in the area of Nino’s. It was not immediately clear whether the fire was storm-related.
River Vale resident Julie Otto described the outage on Blue Hill Road as “wild,” saying the road was dark Saturday evening as storms moved through the area.
State Sen. Holly Schepisi said Sunday morning that more than 16,200 PSE&G customers remained without power across Bergen County following the storms. Posting after an 11 a.m. briefing with the utility, Schepisi said the hardest-hit communities included Hackensack, River Vale, Dumont and Paramus, with River Vale and Dumont each reporting about 2,000 outages.
Schepisi said widespread tree damage and downed live wires were slowing restoration efforts. She said PSE&G’s immediate priorities included restoring power to Bergen Community College, Paramus Park Mall and Veolia facilities before moving to additional customer outages.
According to Schepisi, PSE&G expects to restore service to approximately 9,000 Bergen County customers by the end of Sunday, with remaining outages expected to be restored by no later than midnight Monday. She also asked critical facilities and residents who rely on electrically powered medical equipment and remained without power to contact her office immediately.
Orange & Rockland said it had restored power to more than 8,000 customers by Sunday morning and had mobilized additional crews, including approximately 100 mutual-aid workers, to continue restoration efforts. The utility reminded residents never to approach a downed wire, to assume it is energized, and to report outages or hazardous conditions immediately.
Residents who see downed power or communication lines should stay clear and contact their utility, local police or 911 if the situation presents an immediate danger.
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