MANVILLE: School canceled for Monday

Manville schools will be closed Monday due to anticipated rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy. All after-school activities are also cancelled for Monday.
In bad weather conditions, the Manville school district will communicate through Alert Now, its website and the new digital sign erected on the lawn of the high school on Brooks Boulevard.
Manville has canceled pickup of Monday’s municipal waste and Tuesday’s bulk items.
Residents are asked not to place any items to the curb. For safety reasons, any items already at the curb were asked to be brought back in and secured.
Notification will be made when these pickups are rescheduled.
Leaves raked to the curb will only cause backup of rain water and clog the catch basins, so residents were asked to remove them.
Wind could be the added element in any storm expected to sweep through central New Jersey and the entire middle Atlantic states Sunday through Tuesday.
Hillsborough and Manville, in particular, know what to expect from a lot of rain following the Hurricane Irene storms of August 2011, which brought swelling rivers over their banks.
But winds of up to 75 mph would be the added dimension.
Hillsborough’s emergency management team, including public works and police, of course, but, schools, business advocate, fire marshal, parks, construction and every department of local government, met Friday afternoon in the municipal building.
Everybody would offer a piece of coping — from having machinery to cut fallen or broken limbs, to vehicles to deploy barricades, or to clear storm drains, for example.
Schools would be the shelter of last resort.
In Friday’s township’s e-mail newsletter, which goes to 4,000 accounts, Mayor Carl Suraci urged all Hillsborough residents to prepare for the approaching storm “and to keep in mind that being prepared is the key to safety in any emergency situation.”
He urged all residents to be “calm, informed and prepared” for the expected heavy rains, flooding, impassable roads, downed trees, high winds and power outages.
Hillsborough’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will have a command center open in advance of the storm. Coordinated efforts of the police department, fire companies, rescue squad, the department of public works, building, administration, social services and health are in place to assist during and after the storm, the township said.
Evacuation was recommended for people who live in a flood-prone area, which would be along the Millstone River or lower lying areas along the South Branch of the Raritan and Raritan rivers.
If power is out, roads are flooded and dangerous conditions ensue, it may not be possible for a rescue operation to reach you, the township e-letter said.
Municipal court sessions for Hillsborough and Montgomery townships have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday. Both courts meet in the Hillsborough Township Municipal Building.
The borough website, which carries bulletins, is manvillenj.org. The Manville Police Department website is www.manvillepd.org.
As posted by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, here are federal resources to help individuals track and prepare for the storm:
Ready.gov/hurricanes and @ReadydotGov on Twitter: For hurricane preparation resources.
Weather.gov and @usNWSgov on Twitter: To track the progress of the storm.
USDA.gov and @USDAFoodSafety on Twitter: For a guide to food safety in the case of flooding and power outages.
If you lose power, contact your electric company to report outages:
• PSE&G: 1-800-436-7734, www.pseg.com/outagecenter and @PSEGdelivers on Twitter
• JCP&L: 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or 1-800-545-7738, www.jcp-l.com and @JCP_L on Twitter
Red Cross can help people prepare for Hurricane Sandy and offer valuable resources and shelter during the storm.
• Red Cross preparedness information available at: www.redcross.org/news/article/Prepare-Now-for-Hurricane-Sandy
• A mobile app created by the Red Cross will provide emergency hurricane information, including the location of Red Cross shelters. Information for downloading the app available here: www.redcross.org/mobile-apps/hurricane-app
Somerset County public works crews will handle county road and bridge closings as needed, along with debris removal and the operation of the new flood-control gates in Bound Brook, said Freeholder Patrick Scaglione, public works liaison.
They encouraged people to have a ‘disaster kit’ with necessities in case of a long-term loss of electricity and other utilities, or if they have to evacuate their homes. Such kits should include a supply of bottled water, non-perishable food, a manual can opener, a fire extinguisher, a change of clothes, first-aid kit, bedding, prescription medication, sanitary needs, a standard AM/FM radio, flashlights and extra batteries, and any items required for infants or people with disabilities.
Also, get cash before the storm, since power outages may disrupt ATMs. Visit www.co.somerset.nj.us/health/prepareguid.htm for a detailed list of disaster-kit items and for other hurricane-related resources.
The Somerset County website encouraged residents who live in flood-prone areas to self-evacuate with friends and family; going to a shelter should be a last resort, as these facilities quickly fill to capacity. Be sure to bring necessary medications with you.
Residents can sign up for free e-mail bulletins on county road closings by visiting the county website at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NJSOMER/subscriber/new For other storm-related links, go to http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/_ongoing/emergency_preparedness.html
For information about preparing pets and livestock for an emergency, visit the County Animal Response Team’s webpage at http://www.co.somerset.nj.us/cart/index.html
Follow the county’s Facebook and Twitter pages at www.twitter.com/SomersetCntyNJ and www.facebook.com/SomersetCountyNJ for periodic updates on storm-related issues as they affect Somerset County.