Brick Urges Residents To Stay In As Nor'easter Continues

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township officials are urging residents to continue to limit travel as temperatures drop and precipitation continues to fall throughout the town from Monday's nor'easter.

Garbage and recycling collections scheduled for Tuesday will be picked up as usual, officials said.

A state of emergency declared by Gov. Phil Murphy remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon.

In response to the continuing conditions, the Brick Township Schools announced Monday afternoon that they will continue remote instruction on Tuesday. If the snowfall overnight is significant enough or if there are significant power outages, the district could declare a regular snow day.

Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools students also will have remote instruction on Tuesday, the vo-tech schools announced.

The storm's snow totals on Monday varied depending on what part of town you live in. The National Weather Service had a report of 5.3 inches accumulated as of about 4:30 p.m. Monday, but it was not clear where in the township that measurement was taken. Residents closer to the bay and ocean had less snow as the switchover to rain melted some of the accumulation, but those more inland, particularly in the northern part of the township, didn't get the rain to the same degree and their snow accumulation remained.

Brick plows its streets when 4 inches of snow has accumulated, but because the storm didn't have a uniform effect across town, the town didn't deploy its full force plowing force, officials said.

Plows are being dispatched to areas of the township that were hit harder to clear problem areas, particularly intersections and hills, officials said.

Crews also will be salting streets overnight because the falling temperatures are anticipated to make roads very slick with ice.

Coastal flooding, particularly around high tide, will remain a concern, and officials are warning residents that low-lying areas could see as much as 1 to 2 feet of water above the normal tides, which could result in widespread road flooding in those areas.

The high tides with the greatest concern are anticipated about 11 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday on the oceanfront; backbay high tides are roughly six hours later, so bayfront and riverfront areas could see flooding around dawn Tuesday.

The coastal flood warning remains in effect until 5 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

For those wishing to move vehicles, parking is available at: Angela Hibbard Park, Edmund Hibbard Park, Windward Beach, Drum Point Sports Complex, and the Brick Beach III overflow lot on Route 35.

Power outages remain a possibility, and residents are urged to take the following precautions if they have not otherwise done so, including:

• Keep electronic devices fully charged.
• Keep a flashlight with extra batteries.
• Keep away from any downed power lines.
• Never run a portable generator inside your house or closed garage.

Report any power outages to JCP&L by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (544-4877) or visiting www.firstenergycorp.com and clicking on the "Report Outage" link.

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