TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—With a rare October nor’easter bearing down, acting Westwood Regional School District Superintendent Jill Mortimer wrote parents just after 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26 to say her buildings and grounds supervisor visited the Washington School basement overnight.
She reported the Tropical Storm Ida-stricken school is “bone dry as of now. We have our pumps ready to go in case they are needed.”
But within hours the school’s basement was flooding and its 275 students were being sent home. Parents received short notice of an early dismissal “out of an abundance of caution,” effective 12:45 p.m., urging them to pick their kids up.
Parents who were unable to get to the school immediately were asked to email their child’s teacher. “We will hold onto any child that cannot be picked up at this time,” the district said.
The Washington Township Police Department assisted with the early dismissal.
It’s been a tough season for the school, at 600 School St. Over Labor Day weekend it was knocked out of commission in Ida, with kids subsequently starting fall classes as guests in other schools in the district amid repairs.
Bethany Community Center was considered as a stand-in, but it wasn’t needed, as Washington School welcomed students and staff back on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Mortimer told families Oct. 26, “We observed a town storm drain catch basin located on the school property was filled with water, and we believe the apparent blockage may be responsible for the water coming into the building.
The Township of Washington DPW was onsite clearing it out this afternoon. Rick Woods from the Borough of Westwood’s DPW, brought an additional pump for us to use in our basement. We appreciate the quick response and efforts from both DPWs.”
She said, “Please know we have been working with our architect since the first storm in September to identify why water is entering the Washington School basement. We have ruled out the roof drains, and we are developing a plan to inspect the tunnels that the pipes run through. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued patience and understanding.”
As the skies darkened
Watching the nor’easter approach, Mortimer had shared, “We will continue to watch both the weather forecast and our facilities throughout the day and evening. I am aware some North Jersey schools have closed as a precaution, yet I do not believe that is necessary for us at this time. I will watch Gov. Murphy’s 10 a.m. press conference in order to remain in touch with what is going on at the state level.”
The storm, which delivered 2 to 6 inches of rain over hours in several states, led the governors of New Jersey and New York to declare states of emergency in advance.
Up to 5 inches of rain fell in parts of New Jersey by 11 a.m., flooding some roads, creeks and streams, according to the National Weather Service.
After a respite, New Jersey and New York took on more rain in the evening.
Mortimer wrote in the aftermath, “…a few inches of water came into the basement of the school today, and it accumulated quickly. The Washington Township Fire Department determined it was safe to remain in the building, so students stayed inside until dismissal.”
She said, “At this time, all of the water has been pumped out. Our electrician was onsite inspecting the electrical system, and it is up and running.”
Mortimer advised, “We are aware of the additional rain and high winds that are expected tonight. Therefore, we will have a custodian in the school overnight. We also secured a generator and portable lighting in case the power is out and we need to run our pumps.”
She said, “Rest assured, we are doing everything we can to prevent additional water from entering the basement and to respond quickly if it does. The B&G supervisor, business administrator, and I are all on call tonight, and we will go to the school at any hour if we are needed.”
According to Mortimer, district preparation for this storm began the day before. “We had a custodian in the building until midnight last night, and our buildings and grounds supervisor came to the school at 4:30 a.m. today to check the basement. We are being as proactive as possible.”
She lauded “the excellent response of Township of Washington Police Lt. Scherer, Sgt. Fasciano, Sgt. Maltibano, Cpt. Gugger and SLEO Parisi” for making the unplanned dismissal of some 275 students “proceed as smoothly as possible.”
“There was excellent communication between their agency and the district. Their officers assisted in not only directing traffic to prevent congestion but also helped parents find what door to go to when they were looking for their children,” Mortimer said.
School opened for a full day Oct. 27.