Madison Recovering From Post-Halloween Storm (UPDATED)

MADISON, NJ - Rose City is recovering from a wild weather that ravaged the community early Friday morning shuttering schools, closing roads and leaving many without power. According to officials, power was restored shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday the restoration efforts were still ongoing and Superintendent of Public Works Ken O'Brien said the work effort was joined early in the process through their shared service contract.

"We have an agreement with Butler and they sent 12 guys and trucks at 5 a.m.," O'Brien told Patch. "We have three power crews working."

But O'Brien and his team had already been on the scene much earlier and Madison Mayor Robert Conley met with him at 3 a.m. before declaring Madison a disaster area at 4 a.m.

More than 47,000 people were without power across the state. Read more: 47K Lose Power After Severe NJ Weather, NJ Tornado Warning

With that declaration the Madison governing body is ordering:

1. All residents are strongly advised to remain home and avoid non-essential travel.
Mandatory traffic bans will be activated to correspond with those of the State of New
Jersey.

2. In consultation with the Madison Board of Education, all schools will be closed on
Friday.

3. No vehicles should be parked in the street. Please move cars from the street as soon as
feasible and remain indoors when possible until further notice.

4. Members of the Madison Police Department shall be empowered to close and detour
traffic as deemed necessary for the safety of the residents and visitors to the Borough of
Madison.

5. Members of the Madison Police Department and Fire Department are empowered to
order evacuations of areas in the event such orders are necessary for the protection of
life, limb and property.

6. If needed, the Madison Police Department is authorized, as per New Jersey State
Statute Annotated App.: 9-49, to arrest persons who violate and part of this order,
including commands from emergency management personnel, police and fire personnel
to safeguard the welfare of those persons and property within the Borough of Madison.

7. Please reserve 911 for calls concerning bodily injury or other serious emergencies.
Please call {973) 966-7330 to report blackouts, downed power lines or trees that have
fallen against power lines or across roads.

8. Other orders may be issued as needed by the Madison Office of Emergency
Management.

9. Borough Hall and all Borough offices will be open on Friday.

O'Brien noted that while more than two dozen poles were felled during the storm, the Madison crews were well prepared to make swift repairs.

"The good news is we own them and have 50 in stock," he said.

Beyond the local school district closure, the campus of Drew University was also closed on Friday. Friday evening the school posted an update allowing for students to leave their dorms to access dining services, but their routes were restricted.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.