Fear of Hurricane Irene in Hoboken

Mayor Dawn Zimmer yesterday again strongly urged city residents to leave town as soon as possible to avoid possible catastrophe if Hurricane Irene hits with its anticipated fury.
At a press conference at City Hall, Zimmer reiterated that the storm, set to wallop Hoboken and surrounding communities later today and into tomorrow, could flood the entire city.

Zimmer holds a press conference at City Hall yesterday to reiterate that Hurricane Irene could flood the entire city.

“I know it’s sunny out, which can be deceiving,” she said. “But this could be the most severe storm in the history of Hoboken. “I’m not going to hold a gun to anyone’s head to leave, but people should be prepared to be without electricity,” she added.
Police Chief Anthony Falco ordered all licensed alcohol establishments in the city to stop serving alcohol by 8 p.m. tonight. Driving of personal vehicles, including taxis, will also be prohibited after 8 p.m.

But given what New Jersey is still facing, that’s hardly a silver lining.

Irene is still expected to pound New Jersey as a Category 1 hurricane as it skirts the state’s coastline from Sunday morning through the afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"It’s the triple-header we’re facingBy unanimous vote, Hoboken’s City Council voted last night to add 10 miles of bike lanes to the city’s streets.

The ordinance amendment provides for on-street bike lanes on segments of Hudson Street, Garden Street, Park Avenue, Willow Avenue, Clinton Street, Adams Street, Jefferson Street, Monroe Street, Jackson Street, Harrison Street, Newark Street, 2nd Street and 11th Street. According to spokesman Juan Melli, separate from this ordinance, Hoboken will also paint an additional 9.7 miles of shared-road markings on narrower streets that cannot accommodate a striped bike lane. In addition, Hoboken intends to create a two-way protected 0.43-mile bike lane along Observer Highway as part of a complete street redesign scheduled for next year.

here," said David Robinson, the state climatologist at Rutgers University. "It’s the coastal impacts, it’s the flooding rains and it’s the potential wind damage that make this a real menace."

As of late Friday night, Irene was classified as a Category 2 storm, carrying winds that could reach as high as 110 miles per hour.