Hurricane Irene would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey in more than a century, had it actually been packing hurricane-strength winds at the time.But by the time Irene rolled ashore at Little Egg Inlet in southern Ocean County, its wind speed had already decreased to 69 m.p.h.—a full 5 m.p.h. short of hurricane strength—meaning it was actually just a tropical storm.The new findings were released Dec. 14 by the National Hurricane Center, the latest of equivalent post-mortems the agency has posted on every other storm of the 2011 hurricane season. Every year, the …

As many residents of North Jersey continue to deal with the aftermath of flooding and damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, mental health professionals say it is important to pay attention to one’s emotional needs.  Caldwell College Psychology Professor Dr. Pedoto, who is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York, says there are personal losses that are very tough to deal with as people go through the cleanup and recovery.  “Loss of legacy is a major concern. By this I mean the loss of valued memorabilia such as photographs and other personal items.”  For those who are …

A Caldwell resident took a walk with his dog in Essex County's Grover Cleveland Park early Sunday afternoon after the heavy rains from Hurricane Irene finally came to a halt. With video camera in hand, he captured footage of the brook and pond. What is normally an ankle-deep brook raged with force and speed through the Caldwell/Essex Fells park.  Photographs of Grover Cleveland Park from before Irene are included for comparison.

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is warning residents to beware of shady businesses and vendors showing up in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Neal Buccino, a spokesman with the division, said there already have been 46 reports of price gouging since the storm—on items including bottled water, gasoline and hotel rooms. He said there's been no reports of home repair or charity scams yet. Buccino said his division has investigated 23 of the cases and none had broken the law, but the investigation is continuing, "While they have found some high prices … the cases we've fully investigated …

President Barack Obama declared New Jersey a major disaster area Wednesday afternoon in response to the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Irene this weekend, officials said. The move comes after Gov. Chris Christie and the congressional delegation sent a bi-partisan letter to the president urging federal assistance.The declaration will allow the federal government to award FEMA assistance to local residents, and state and municipal governments, according to officials with Rep. Bill Pascrell's (D-NJ) office.  "Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families and business owners have endured incredible …

The Passaic River may have crested, but flood conditions remain in Fairfield, and unfortunately for many of the town residents, this is a road they have traveled on too many times. What was unusual, however, was a visit from Governor Chris Christie, who visited residents and rescue workers in besieged areas of both Fairfield and Wayne on Tuesday afternoon. In addition to speaking to residents, Christie did tour homes and witnessed firsthand the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. For some residents, the flood damage was all too familiar. "I have been dealing with this since Hurricane Floyd in …

State officials have asked President Barack Obama to quickly declare New Jersey to be a major disaster area after Hurricane Irene ravaged the state with dangerous winds and torrents of rain this weekend. This would enable for the federal government via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist state and local administrations and affected residents. Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), as well as Rep. William Pascrell Jr. led the effort, according to press releases from their offices. "Hurricane Irene was a catastrophe of …

PSE&G continues to make progress helping customers regain their electricity in the wake of Hurricane Irene, according to company officials.As of 12:30 p.m. today, officials said, 85,000 outages still remain throughout the state after the weekend hurricane downed trees and power lines and damaged property with hurricane-force winds. That number is down from a high of approximately 375,000 outages reported late Sunday by the utility.  A PSE&G representative was unable to give a town-by-town breakdown of the outages Tuesday afternoon.  Residents with downed wires should call (800) 436-7734  or (…

While a state of emergency continues in neighboring Fairfield, life in the Caldwells is beginning to return to normal post Hurricane Irene.  Police report streets closed due to felled trees and power lines are reopening, and power is slowly returning to residents. West Caldwell West Caldwell Police Chief Michael Bramhall reports that as of 4 p.m. this afternnoon, all power had been restored to residents.  The main traffic problem now is not with streets in West Caldwell but with the road closures in Fairfield. As reported on Fairfield's website, the only road open into or out of Fairfield is …

Businesses struggling to clean up after Irene may be eligible for assistance services offered by the NJ Business Action Center. The services include: 1. Access to lines of credit of up to $500,000 for businesses that need access to cash to improve their damaged property while awaiting insurance proceeds. 2.  Grant awards for businesses to assist with on-the-job training costs for new workers hired specifically to assist in disaster-related activities, such as landscaping and tree removal, construction, insurance claims, building supplies sales, materials transport, utility work, call and …

As a 17-year-old, there’s not many things I can remember from when I was younger, but one thing I do remember is Hurricane Floyd. This is what I can remember: it was very dark outside and it looked like the middle of the night. The winds were howling and the rain beat down on my house and everything around it. I was standing in my garage with my dad while my mom went outside with a tiny black umbrella. It only took seconds for the umbrella to flip upside down and break, proving it was no match for the monstrous Floyd. The only other memory I have is my parents telling me that a cherished  …

The West Essex Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has taken over the shelter at West Essex High School, which opened Saturday as a refuge for victims of Hurricane Irene.  According to CERT volunteer Kevin Hersh, Red Cross volunteers have been called to other parts of the state. "Red Cross was managing the West Essex High School shelter on Greenbrook in North Caldwell. Unfortunately their services are also stretched thin and they are needed elsewhere in the state leaving a need for CERT and community volunteers at our local community shelter," Hersh stated in an email to Patch Sunday …

Businesses are planning to close, homeowners are taking precautions and more preparations were under way on Saturday morning as Hurricane Irene made its way up the Atlantic coast. Patch will keep adding images to this gallery throughout the weekend. You can also post your hurricane pictures here.

Residents of the Caldwells reported flooding, power outages, downed trees and power lines Sunday, but no major incidents of damage or injuries were known as of Sunday afternoon. Frank Gurtman, 61, of North Caldwell, said he saw “big time” flooding on his property. “My house was surrounded by water on three sides,” he said. Pat Gargiulo, 51, of West Caldwell, said he avoided flooding in his basement by using sump pumps. Gargiulo said he doesn't have a backup generator and was therefore happy not to have lost power during the storm. He said there was a lot of water in the street outside his …

Caldwell Updated 4:30 p.m. No injuries have been reported in Caldwell Sunday due to the storm, although a number of trees have fallen, hitting homes, knocking out transformers and leaving residents without power, according to Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing. Dassing cautioned people to stay away from downed wires which may be live and could jump. “We have no idea if these lines are live and if they are live the electricity can arc and will actually strike people if they are too close,” Dassing said. The mayor said she witnessed families out today and children skateboarding and biking around. The …

As Hurricane Irene approaches the Jersey Shore, local emergency workers are reminding people that call volume skyrockets during a crisis. Many of the calls are non-emergency calls that could be better handled by another agency.  The following is a partial list of phone numbers to call related to specific problems you may have: PSE&G—Downed power lines, gas leaks and other urgent, safety related requests. Available 24 hours / 7 days: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) Phone service or FIOS television, call Verizon: 1-800-837-4966 Cable TV service, Cablevision: 866-633-0193 All emergency situations, however…

An elderly husband and wife checked into the American Red Cross shelter at West Essex High School in North Caldwell Saturday, seeking refuge from Hurricane Irene, which is expected to flood the low lying Fairfield road where they live. The shelter, which opened at 6 p.m., is the first in recent memory set up to serve the six West Essex towns of Caldwell, Essex Fells, Fairfield, North Caldwell, Roseland and West Caldwell. It can accommodate up to 130 people with cots and blankets, as well as provide food, water, bathrooms and medical support. Red Cross volunteers from Northern New Jersey and …

Ever wonder why you hear some hurricane names again? Or why some names disappear? Here's the scoop on hurricane names, straight from NOAA: For Atlantic hurricanes, there is actually one list for each of six years. In other words, one list is repeated every seventh year. The only time that there is a change is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for obvious reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the offending name is stricken from…

With Hurricane Irene almost certain to batter the northeastern states this weekend, the need for up-to-the minute info is even more important. At Patch, we will be working around-the-clock to cover the storm, but as with all of our reporting, the more interaction we get from users the more comprehensive our coverage will be. Caldwells Patch is as much your site as it is ours.So in wake of Irene, here’s how you can use Patch to help paint the local picture of the event.1. Get the news. When we know about storm-related news, so will you. From important town announcements, damages, power outages…