EWING — Rain is expected to fall relentlessly from now until 6 a.m., but for now, there are no road closures due to flooding or massive power outages in the state, according to Maj. Edward Cetnar of the State Police. "Calm before the storm is where we are right now," Cetnar said at an 8:15 p.m. briefing at State...
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EWING — Rain is expected to fall relentlessly from now until 6 a.m., but for now, there are no road closures due to flooding or massive power outages in the state, according to Maj. Edward Cetnar of the State Police.
"Calm before the storm is where we are right now," Cetnar said at an 8:15 p.m. briefing at State Police headquarters.
Asked if there are particular areas they're concerned about flooding, Cetnar replied: "the entire state."
The inland areas that got pummeled by the tail-ends of Hurricane Floyd in 1999 are also bracing for flooding this time around — particularly near the rivers in Middlesex and Somerset counties. "They've been through this before so they know what to do up there," Cetnar said.
"We are starting to see conditions deteriorate in New Jersey right now," Cetnar told reporters at the state's command center in Ewing. "Anytime from now until 4 to 6 a.m. will be the worst period of time. The next 10 hours will be critical to New Jersey."
Some 5,600 people are being housed in shelters, Cetnar said, about 300 more than the governor reported when he briefed the media around 2 p.m. There have been no reports of looting or criminal activity in the wake of mass evacuations.
"There are no calls from anybody panicking saying, 'I stayed and I need to get out,'" Cetnar said.
Up to 12 inches of rain are expected to fall across the state, he said. Quoting the National Weather Service, Cetnar said, "it's going to be a punch — it will hit us very quickly."
By Susan K. Livio and Ginger Gibson/The Star-Ledger
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⇒ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT THE STORM
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