Downed trees, power outages and water trouble: It’s been a week for the record books in Verona.
Township Manager Matthew Cavallo sent out an email today detailing the damage done by Tropical Storm Isaias. Cavallo said that there were more than 200 calls for service to the Verona Police Department, calls that also required intervention by Fire Department, Rescue Squad, Public Works, Building Department or PSE&G.
“I would like to personally thank all of our First Responders, Public Works and Utility Workers who are working every day to help keep all of us here in Verona safe,” Cavallo wrote. “These critical personnel are experiencing unprecedented obstacles, but continue to conquer them.”
In addition to the water supply problem caused by a power failure at the Passaic Valley Water Commission, there were two water main breaks on Cumberland Avenue. Verona had had to open connections to water supply lines from Cedar Grove, Essex Fells and Montclair in the wake of the Passaic Valley outage, and Cavallo said the breaks on Cumberland may have been caused by a change in water pressure from the change of water supply.
“Public Works crews have been working around the clock since Tuesday afternoon to ensure that our water system was returned to its normal operating state,” Cavallo wrote.
As residents continue to clean up fallen trees and limbs, Cavallo wrote that they should put tree debris near their curb before the morning of Monday, August 10. Public Works crews will begin moving through Verona on Monday to remove all debris that is piled at the curb. Tree debris does not have to be bundled for that pickup, but after Monday, residents will be required to return to cutting and bundling debris into manageable sizes for pickup by our regular waste hauler. Residents can also drop off storm-damaged trees and tree limbs in the parking lot of the former Cameco factory on Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. No bagged leaves or grass will be accepted at this site, and only residents can drop off tree debris, not their contractors or landscapers. You can access the site via Pine Street off of Fairview Avenue. For more information on this special collection, please contact the Public Works Department at (973) 857-4804.
Several trees landed on power lines as they fell. Here’s how one was removed on the Fairway:
