Community Corner
UPDATED—Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools Closed Wednesday
Power returning in spots in West Caldwell. ShopRite will re-open on Wednesday morning. Caldwell College will close Oct. 31.
Updated at 3:50 p.m. Tuesday. Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 31, for the third day in a row, according to West Caldwell Police Chief Michael Bramhall. The chief said garbage and recycling pickup is suspended in the township for Wednesday. Caldwell College remains without power Tuesday and will also be closed Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the college. The school is on a generator and students who are on campus are safe, Media Relations Director Colette Liddy said. "We are encouraging students who can go home safely to go home," Liddy said. She said special activities are planned for students who need to stay on campus and meals are being served on a special schedule.West Essex Regional Schools, North Caldwell Schools and Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell have also announced that they will be closed Wednesday. Updated at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday. Areas of West Caldwell are regaining power Tuesday afternoon, according to the township's police chief. Chief Michael Bramhall said while most of the town remains without power, parts of Beverly Road, Central Avenue and the lower part of Park Street are back on. ShopRite on Passaic Avenue has power again and will re-open in the morning. The CVS down the road from the supermarket has opened for business. The chief said he had spoken with the Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools Superintendent Tuesday afternoon and expects a decision to be made shortly on whether schools will re-open Wednesday. He said no decision had been made about Halloween yet. Story updated at 12:57 p.m. Tuesday. Thousands of residents woke up without power Tuesday in the Caldwells after strong winds whipped through the area Monday evening and in the early morning hours, knocking down trees, branches and power lines. North Caldwell is completely without power and all major roads are impassable, according to North Caldwell Chief Mark Deuer. In West Caldwell, Police Chief Michael Bramhall said most if not all homes are without power, and most businesses are closed, including ShopRite, CVS and Panera Bread. All traffic lights in the township are out, making road travel dangerous, the chief said. Thirty roads are closed Tuesday afternoon due to downed trees and wires, including parts of Westville, Harrison, Smull and Forest avenues and Clinton Road. Another 10 roads were closed but have reopened since the morning. "I strongly encourage people to stay off the roadways," said Bramhall. The chief said the police are not informed about PSE&G's plans to restore power. He said residents should report outages directly to PSE&G and should not assume that the utility is aware of their outages. North Caldwell Chief Mark Deuer said the damage from the storm is "definitely worse than Irene," comparing the event to the freak snowfall that left residents without power for up to a week last October. Sections of Central, Mountain, Smull and Greenbrook avenues in the borough are closed as well as numerous side streets. The North Caldwell Fire Dept. responded to about eight fires caused by downed wires throughout the night, the chief said. An advisory from Caldwell Police sent out Tuesday morning stated, "There are numerous roads closed, trees down and live wires down. Stay indoors and far away from downed wires." All North Caldwell Schools, including West Essex Regional Schools, will be closed until further notice, according to a notice from police. All Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools are without power but a call has not been made as to whether schools will be closed Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the district. In addition to complete power loss, much of North Caldwell is without phone service. The chief reports two to three dozen telephone poles are down. A warming center at the Caldwell Community Center in Caldwell stayed open throughout the night, but nobody checked in, Director Rob Patterson said. Patterson said the center, which is operating on a generator, will remain open Tuesday and people have been coming in to charge cell phones and laptops. Anyone who needs a place to warm-up or wait for friends or relatives to pick them up are welcome to stop by the center at 1 Provost Square. Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell has power and people were lining up anywhere coffee was available all morning. Rockn' Joe had lines out the door as many as 20 people deep. The Cloverleaf Tavern was opening at 11 a.m. and was planning to stay open throughout the day. Passaic Avenue was without power and traffic lights were out from Crane's Mill to Eagle Rock Avenue in Roseland. Washburn Place, Central Avenue and Forest Avenue in Caldwell all had downed trees. Chief Deuer advised residents to stay inside and avoid driving through the borough. West Caldwell Police have responded to 194 calls since 7 a.m. Monday, according to the chief.
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