No Unauthorized Travel Allowed After 6 Tonight as Lawrence Township Declares State of Emergency

Update: 6 p.m., Oct. 28:

The Lawrence Township Municipal Building will be closed on Monday, Oct. 28.  Essential personnel are required to report to work and those individuals have already been contacted.

All Mercer County government offices, including Mercer County courts, will be closed tomorrow as well.

Mercer County Community College will be closed tomorrow and Tuesday, while Lawrenceville School (which had no classes scheduled for Monday due to its Parents Weekend) has cancelled classes for Tuesday as well.

Update: 3:45 p.m., Oct. 28:

Lawrence Township Public Schools will be closed on Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 30, for all students and all 10-month and 12-month staff.

Original Story, 1 p.m., Oct. 28:

Now is the time to get those last-minute items you need to prepare for Hurricane Sandy because after 6 p.m. today (Sunday, Oct. 28) travel in Lawrence Township will be restricted to emergency personnel and vehicles as authorized by the township’s emergency management team.

Mayor Jim Kownacki today signed a proclamation declaring a state of emergency for the township, effective 6 p.m. today.

(A copy of that proclamation can be found below or in the media box to the right.)

The proclamation reads, in part: “There shall be no through traffic traversing the aforesaid area(s) except for the movement of police, fire EMS or any other such vehicles as may be permitted by use or by authorized officials of this township.”

Tomorrow’s regular recycling collection has been rescheduled for Sunday, Nov. 4, and Monday’s regularly-scheduled trash pickup has been postponed until Thursday, Nov. 1.

All programs and activities at the Lawrence Senior Center have been canceled for tomorrow, including van transportation and nutrition.

The flu clinic previously scheduled to be held on Monday at the municipal building has been rescheduled for next Monday. Nov. 5.

Monday’s special zoning board meeting has also been postponed and will now take place on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Rider University, meanwhile, called off the open house it had planned for today at its Lawrence Township campus and also cancelled all classes (day and evening) and events for both tomorrow and Tuesday at Rider’s main campus in Lawrence and its Westminster campus in Princeton. Offices on both campuses will also be closed both days.  

“We ask that resident students who can return home to please do so today or tomorrow in advance of the storm’s arrival,” Rider posted on its website Saturday night. "We recognize that not all students can return home; therefore residences and dining halls will remain open on both campuses. We have appropriate staffing coverage on both campuses and will provide essential services during the storm for students who cannot return home.”

An announcement about school closures is expected to come later today from Lawrence Township’s public school district.

Shown below is the text of the proclamation declaring a state of emergency in Lawrence Township:

Proclamation

To All Residents And Persons Within Lawrence Township, New Jersey And To All Departments Of The Municipal Government Of Lawrence Township

WHEREAS, pursuant to the powers vested by Chapter 251 of the laws of 1942 as amended and supplemented, by N.lS.A. App. A: 9-30 et seq.; N.lS.A. 40:48-1(6); N.lS.A. 2C:33-1et seq.; whichever law or laws apply a local disaster emergency is declared to exist within the boundaries of Lawrence Township; and

WHEREAS, the aforesaid laws authorize the promulgation of such orders, rule and regulations as are necessary to meet the various problems which have or may occur due to such emergency; and

WHEREAS, by reasons of the conditions which are currently existing in certain areas of the Township of Lawrence, which may affect the health, safety and welfare of the people of the Township of Lawrence; and

WHEREAS, it has been determined that these areas of Lawrence Township should then be declared disaster areas and further that certain measures must be taken in order to insure that the authorities as well as maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and further in order to protect the persons and property of the residents affected by the conditions; and

WHEREAS, the following areas are designated disaster areas: The entire area of the Township of Lawrence

THEREFORE IN ACCORDANCE WITH the aforesaid laws, it is promulgated and declared that the following regulations shall be in addition to all other laws of the State of New Jersey and the Township of Lawrence,

1. There shall be no through traffic traversing the aforesaid area(s) except for the movement of police, fire EMS or any other such vehicles as may be permitted by use or by authorized officials of this Township.

Date of Proclamation: October 28, 2012

Time: 6:00 PM