Hurricane Sandy: Mercer County officials monitor Delaware River water levels

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on October 28, 2012 at 10:22 AM, updated October 28, 2012 at 11:37 AM
ga1028storm.JPG Phil Devinsky of Middletown tops off his gas can for his generators at the BP on Rout 34 in Middletown, NJ, on Saturday, October 27, 2012. People have been filing up their tanks in preparation for Hurricane Sandy.

Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes declared a limited state of emergency yesterday in anticipation of severe weather expected in the county due to Hurricane Sandy.

“I urge everyone to take this storm seriously and be as prepared as possible,” Hughes said in a news release issued yesterday.

The declaration order does not limit travel in the county, but does allow the office of emergency management to begin implementing its emergency plan, officials said.

“You can be of most help to our emergency teams and road crews if you prepare now and travel only when absolutely necessary,” Hughes said.

The declaration allows for emergency purchases to be made if they are deemed necessary, said county spokeswoman Julie Willmot.



STATUS: Sandy remained a Category 1 hurricane as of 11 a.m. Sunday

STRENGTH: Maximum sustained winds of 75 mph; 951 mb pressure (stronger than it was last night)

LOCATION: Center of the storm was 250 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and 575 miles south of New York City, as of 11 a.m. Sunday

SPEED & DIRECTION: Moving northeast at 14 mph

OUTLOOK: Sandy is expected to continue tracking northeast, parallel to the East Coast. Winds are expected to be near-hurricane force at landfall Monday night, and the hurricane is expected to bring life-threatening flooding from the storm surge along the mid-Atlantic coast.

Source: National Hurricane Center

Willmot said the county will track the expenditures so that in the event there is severe damage and emergency relief funding is available, the county will be poised to be reimbursed for the purchases.

The county’s Office of Emergency Management is scheduled to open tomorrow morning to begin monitoring the weather situation, Willmot said.

Gov. Chris Christie yesterday declared a statewide state of emergency in order to allow time for the state emergency management team to prepare for the storm.

Many county residents have been stocking up on supplies for the storm, stripping the shelves at local stores of things such as bread, water, flashlights and batteries.

Tom Nemec, owner of the True Value Hardware store in West Trenton, said while storms like this are good for business, he said he wishes that residents would consider emergency preparedness year-round.

“Everybody wants a generator,” said Nemec. “We have had a dozen here for six months and in the last few days we have sold 11.”

In Trenton, members of the fire department continued to test any equipment that may be necessary. More importantly, Battalion Chief Frank Seidl said he and the other members are keeping an eye on weather reports and the level of the Delaware River.

Seidl said if the majority of the rainfall stays to the south of Trenton, it is likely that flooding from the river will not be a problem.

“We are keeping an eye on things and making arrangements for additional manpower,” said Seidl.

Flood, high wind and hazardous weather watches have been issued for Mercer County.

County officials said they fear if a large amount of rainfall is dropped on the area it could lead to localized flooding of streams and basements.

Many county crews have already begun inspecting roadways and storm drains. Officials are monitoring Trenton-Mercer Airport to determine if winds become too strong for aircraft to safely land.

The county has provided a supply of fuel for county-owned vehicles in the event that power is cut to the fueling stations.

According to information from the National Weather Service, the water level in the Delaware River is just above 10 feet at Trenton and it is forecast to crest below the 20-foot flood stage. NWS indicates that the water level in the Assunpink Creek in Trenton is hovering at just below 3 feet, 5½ feet below flood stage.

Contact Jenna Pizzi at or (609)989-5717.