Montclair Officials Urge Caution As Storm Hits Township: UPDATED – Montclair, NJ Patch

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair public safety officials are advising residents to stay safe as bad weather from Tropical Storm Isaias hits New Jersey on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch across New Jersey as Tropical Storm Isaias made its way north through the mid-Atlantic, packing winds of nearly 50 mph. Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for all 21 counties that took effect at 5 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m.

PSE&G reported that tens of thousands of customers lost power throughout Essex County, including Montclair.

The Montclair Office of Emergency Management (OEM) called attention to the tornado watch in a municipal bulletin on Tuesday.

“Do not drive or walk through flooded streets,” the Montclair OEM stated. “If you come upon a flooded street, take an alternate route. It only takes a few inches of water for drivers to lose control or even get swept away.”

The Montclair OEM also reminded people to avoid any power lines if they come down in bad weather.

“Downed power lines can be deadly.,” officials said. “Always assume a downed power line is live and avoid going near it or anything in contact with it.”

The weather has already impacted Tuesday’s trash pickup, the Montclair Department of Community Services reported.

“Due to severe and dangerous weather conditions garbage collection was not completed in Section 2 today,” town officials stated at 1:12 p.m. “The remainder of Section 2 will be collected tomorrow. Because of the weather conditions, please put out your garbage cans at 6 a.m. tomorrow, not this evening.”