Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Local News

Late Saturday night, a slow-moving Nor'easter swept through all of New Jersey, burying parts of Hoboken and Stevens Institute of Technology under as much as six inches of rain water. The basement of Jacobus Hall and parts of Hayden Hall were flooded. PATH entrances inside the Hoboken terminal were closed and blocked with sandbags, but service continued on time. Passengers had to use the outside elevator on the bus side of the station to access PATH trains. Mayor Roberts had declared a state of emergency about 5 p.m. on Sunday. He said that Hoboken University Medical Center and the city's emergency services were functioning properly. Roberts stated "We are doing everything we can to keep our city above water." He has spoken with NJ Transit and the North Hudson Sewerage Authority to ensure the removal of storm water from the drainage system during high tide. New Jersey authorities have called it the worst storm to hit the state in 15 years. The storm also grounded flights at New York's three major airports.
Flooding delayed or canceled Amtrak service between Boston or Washington. The storm lasted for most of the weekend, however most of the flooding occurred Monday evening. Part of the SITTV studio in the basement of Humphreys Residence Hall was flooded resulting in the loss of some electronic equipment. The parking garage on Monroe Street flooded causing gasoline to mix in with the floodwater. Part of the viaduct also collapsed under the strain of floodwater. A four-alarm fire broke out in General Lumber, a Hoboken lumber yard. Residents in nearby buildings on Grand Street were evacuated according to Hoboken Police Captain James Fitzsimmons. Firefighters were called to the lumber yard which is located on Clinton Street at Second Street at 5:22 p.m. It took firefighters at least an hour to get the fire under control. Firefighters from Jersey City and North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue responded to help aid local fire fighters. Help was delayed by heavy flooding between Hoboken and Jersey City. PSE&G, the utility company that services Hoboken, was called in to turn off power to the buildings affected by the fire.

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