Montclair Battered By Storm: 4K Lose Power, Town Pool Damaged

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Tropical Storm Isaias hit Montclair hard on Tuesday, battering the area with heavy winds that tore down power lines and ripped trees out of the ground.

Now – a day after the storm – Montclair residents are still dealing with the havoc left in its wake. Here are some updates as of Wednesday.

• See related article: 50K Still Without Power In Essex County After Storm

POWER OUTAGES

According to PSE&G’s outage map, 4,290 out of 19,258 customers in Montclair were still affected as of 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

PSE&G expects that at least 85 percent of its customers who are still without power will have it restored by Friday night, spokespeople said.

The Montclair Office of Emergency Management (OEM) urged anyone using a portable generator to follow these safety tips:

• Use portable generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas away from all doors, windows and vents
• Make sure you have carbon monoxide alarms in your home
• Do not use a generator in a wet area. This can cause shock or electrocution.
• Connect appliances to the generator with heavy-duty extension cords
• Do not fuel your generator when it is running. Spilling gas on a hot engine can cause a fire.

TREE DEBRIS

Montclair will hold a special collection for tree debris to help residents clean up after the storm. Debris must be placed at the curb by Wednesday, Aug. 19.

Town officials said:

“Due to the significant quantity of debris which is anticipated, an accurate collection schedule after this date cannot be determined however it is expected that complete removal of debris may take several weeks. Once the special collection has commenced and as each street is cleared of debris after Wednesday, Aug. 19, the date of collection will be noted and the crews will not return to that street for additional debris. Residents will be required to make their own arrangements for disposal at that time.”

Acceptable items include:

Branches – Branches are defined as any tree, bush or shrub parts less than one inch in diameter. Branches must be cut in manageable lengths of 3 to 10 feet and must be stacked neatly to facilitate disposal. Branches may also be set out in biodegradable paper bags.

Wood Chips/chunks, Tree Bark, Acorns, Misc., Nuts, Tree Droppings, Etc. – These items must be placed at the curb in biodegradable paper bags or rigid containers not weighing more than 50 pounds each.

Logs – Logs are defined as any tree part one inch or larger in diameter. Logs are not normally collected as vegetative waste however logs up to six inches in diameter will be collected during this special storm cleanup only. Residents must make their own arrangements for disposal of logs larger than 6 inches in diameter. To facilitate collection, please keep log piles separate from branch piles. Different crews and equipment will be collecting the different debris.

Stumps will not be collected. Residents must make their own arrangements for disposal, officials said.

Town officials added:

“All tree debris must be placed at the curb but not in the street to avoid impeding traffic or causing safety concerns. Prior to curbside collection, any tree debris which spills into the street must be returned to the curb immediately by the property owner. Violators will be subject to a fine by Code Enforcement for impeding traffic.”

Plastic bags are not acceptable for use of yard debris and will not be collected. Debris in brown, biodegradable paper bags will be accepted, but branches must follow the guidelines laid out above, officials said.

In addition, given the "extreme and emergent conditions" and unusual amount of yard debris caused by Tropical Storm Isaias, the Montclair OEM coordinator is allowing the use of internal combustion leaf blowers, effective immediately and until Thursday, Sept. 3.

POOLS

Nishuane Pool saw damage in the storm and was closed Wednesday. Mountainside Pool will open for its normal hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., officials said.

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