Jersey City Mayor James Solomon warned residents to expect a blizzard on Sunday, urging them to stay home as snow removal crews and first responders roll up their sleeves and get to work.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
The National Weather Service has issued a forecast for at least six inches of snow, but Jersey City and Hudson County are likely to receive more than that, with some municipalities expecting over a foot.
During a press conference today, Solomon relayed that the snow would begin to fall early Sunday morning and continuing throughout the entire day and possibly into early Monday morning
“This has the potential to be one of the most significant snowstorms we’ve seen, likely to be the largest snowstorm in at least a decade here in Jersey City. We want to make sure every resident knows that Jersey City is ready and we’re doing all in our power to prep our operations,” he declared.
The Jersey City Department of Public Works has over 75 pieces of equipment ready to deploy, including plow trucks, spreaders, and support vehicles. Over 2,500 tons of salt is positioned across three salt distribution sites in Jersey City, the mayor noted.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Operations Center is activating at a Level 2 to coordinate all city response, he said.
That also means regular meetings on the matter, with a briefing on Thursday, a briefing today, and a briefing set for Saturday to make sure the city is “fully ready to go.”
While the city is gearing up logistically and operationally for the storm, Solomon asked residents to do their part too. He suggested everyone stock up on supplies now, not when the storm arrives on Sunday.
In addition, he asked residents to move their vehicles off the streets if possible. He said the city is compiling a list of available municipal parking that residents will have access to instead of on-street parking.
“Please move your cars off the street. Do not park in crosswalks or near corners … Make sure you are allowing emergency services to operate,” Solomon explained, noting that cars in those areas will be towed and non-essential plans for Sunday should be cancelled.
“We need to make sure that our roads are clear for our snow plows, for our wonderful public works crews, to do their work. If it is not essential, if you are not an emergency worker, please cancel your plans on Sunday. We ask you to cancel them now.”
On top of keeping the streets clear, Solomon encouraged residents to check on their neighbors, especially the elderly or those who may need assistance.
And when the storm is over, property owners are responsible for clearing the sidewalks within eight hours after the snow stops for residential properties and four hours post-snow for commercial properties.
Solomon also noted it was important not to shovel the snow back into the street, since DPW crews are hard at working clearing it from the streets.
He continued that Hudson County has declared a Code Blue Alert through February 5 due to the inclement weather, with warming centers and emergency shelters open to the homeless and other vulnerable populations in need throughout the county.
Those in need of shelter in Jersey City can go to the St. Lucy’s Emergency Shelter at 619 Grove St. in Jersey City, the PERC Shelter at 111 37th St. in Union City, or the Garden State Community Development Corporation.
In addition, they can call 201-604-2600 for assistance securing shelter.
According to Solomon, Jersey City will continue to update residents through JCTV, social media, and the city website. He later encouraged residents to sign up for Alert JC, the municipal alert system, noting only 70,000 of about 300,000 residents are registered.
“We’re asking people to stay safe and stay warm and look after each other. We will be hard at work until we deal with the snowstorm and get our roads and our public pathways safe and clear.”
In response to questions from reporters after the briefing, Solomon said the city anticipates it will have enough salt for the storm and they are in the process of acquiring more.
Following up on resources for the homeless, Solomon said the city is doing everything to get those vulnerable out of the storm due to the “extraordinarily frigid temperatures.”
He said this is going to be one of the colder storms Jersey City has seen in quite a while, emphasizing it is not safe to be outside on the streets.
