Hurricane Recovery Underway in Lawrence Township

The complete tally of damage – both financially and emotionally – caused to Lawrence Township by Hurricane Irene likely won’t be known for some time.

What is known right now is that, either during the storm or in the days that followed, ; over 500 people and pets had to be rescued from rising flood waters by volunteer firefighters using boats; hundreds of homes, apartments and businesses sustained damage from flooding; thousands of PSE&G customers in the township lost power, some for days; numerous roads were flooded over and closed; and at least one roadway sustained significant damage.

As of Wednesday (Aug. 31), about 150 PSE&G customers in the township were still without power and the utility company was working to restore electrical service, Lawrence Township Manager Richard Krawczun said. At one point, he said, there were over 2,100 residences and businesses in Lawrence that lost power.

The intersection of Quakerbridge Road and Quaker Road at the Delaware & Raritan Canal – an area known as Port Mercer which forms the border between Lawrence, Princeton and West Windsor townships – . Krawczun said Lawrence Township has entered into an emergency contract with a contractor to repair the damaged roadway. He noted the intersection will remain closed through at least the end of this week while those repairs are being made.

Located near the damaged roadway is the historic Port Mercer Canal House, which was built in the 1830s next to a swing bridge over the D&R Canal to serve as home to the bridgetender and his family.

The Canal House was damaged by Irene, according to Laura Nawrocik, president of the Lawrence Historical Society.

“The good news is, while we did take on some damage from the flood, the interior of the house doesn't look as bad as the area around the house. All of the interior damage is contained to the basement and kitchen addition, so the original house and two furnished rooms are fine. The water mark on the house is about four feet, which is significantly higher than the water mark from Hurricane Floyd in 1999,” Nawrocik said. “The basement is missing one window and still has dampness and some water, which will need to be dried and then the whole basement will need to be cleaned to remove the mud.  The kitchen addition has a hardwood floor that will most likely need to be replaced, as it has begun to warp as it dries.  The wood slat walls also have damage, which may require partial or full replacement. 

“At this time, the Lawrence Historical Society is working closely with the D&R Canal State Park personnel and our insurance company to swiftly take care of the needed repairs to prevent further damage or the growth of mold or bacteria in the house. We are lucky to have an excellent caretaker at the house and willing volunteers on our board of trustees, as well as a great relationship with the park personnel. This support has made the recovery effort run smoothly and we hope to begin repair work in the next 24 hours,” she added.

Photos of the damage to the Canal House can be found online by clicking here.

She said the township historical society’s other prize, the on Meadow Road, escaped damage.

“Brearley House, thankfully, only has downed tree limbs, and one tree toward the back of the house split but missed hitting the house by a few feet,” Nawrocik said. “While power was out for a little while, the sump pump kept pace and cleared the water out of the basement. Our caretaker at Brearley also reported that she felt well taken care of by the township, as public works stopped by a few times during the storm to check on the property and make sure she was OK.”

Due to toppled trees, fallen power lines, and the severe flooding that resulted from the 6 inches or so of rain that Hurricane Irene dumped on already saturated ground and swollen creeks in the township on Saturday (Aug. 27) and Sunday (Aug. 28), numerous roads and intersections had to be closed at various times by police. These included:

• Allen Lane at Route 1
• Bakers Basin Road (entire length)
• Cold Soil Road at Keefe Road
• Denow Road at Spring Beauty Drive
• Lawrence Station Road
• Princess Road
• Princeton Pike between Graf Avenue and Irwin Place
• Princeton Pike between Franklin Corner Road and Province Line Road
• Quakerbridge Road (4100 block)
• Route 206 at Fackler Road
• Route 206 at Roxboro Road
• Route 206 at Titus Avenue
• Route 206 near Notre Dame High School
• Route 1 from Interstate 95/295 to the Route 1 Freeway/Business Route 1 split (both directions)
• Wayside Lane
• Whitehead Road at Route 1 Freeway

All of the roadways, with the exception of the damaged intersection at Port Mercer, were reopened by Tuesday (Aug. 30).

“We were fortunate that we did not have, during the storm event, a lot of large-scale damage to homes. There was a house on Fountayne Lane where a tree fell down and there was some damage to that home and couple of the adjacent homes,” Krawczun said. “We have experienced problems with flooding and people having to shut off their electric in their house due to basements being flooded. But we really were fortunate that we did not have extensive damage to homes or to buildings. The water was the problem. We have a lot of reports of basements flooded. We certainly had a lot of road closures.”

and the house was deemed unsafe by township inspectors on Monday. The area surrounding the house had been under several feet of water on Sunday and was where Cesar Ortiz was pulled to his death Tuesday after he removed the cover from a sewer manhole in an attempt to drain flood water from a property he owned.

Countless vehicles were damaged by flood waters throughout the township. At least 50 vehicles were submerged at just the Lawrenceville Gardens apartment complex on Franklin Corner Road, Krawczun said.

Township officials said over 500 people and pets were evacuated by boat from flooded areas by volunteer firefighters from the township’s Slackwood, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville fire companies – with the help of West Windsor Volunteer Fire Co., the , township police officers and township emergency medical personnel – on Sunday, from about 4 a.m. into the early evening.   

Township officials provided the following breakdown of the evacuations:

• About 20 people from the at 3000 Brunswick Pike (Route 1 North)
• 29 residents of several homes in the 2100 block of Princeton Pike between Shabakunk Creek and Slack Avenue
• 88 residents and several pets from , located between the 2100 block of Princeton Pike and the 500 block of Lawrence Road (Route 206)
• About 140 guests from the at 3203 Brunswick Pike (Route 1 South)
• About 70 residents from at 180 Franklin Corner Rd.
• About 100 guests from at 2995 Brunswick Pike (Route 1 South)
• Several dozen residents of homes in the 200 block of Bakers Basin Road and guests from the nearby Mount’s Motel at 2984 Brunswick Pike (Route 1 North)
• 2 people and 37 pets were evacuated from , a kennel at 231 Bakers Basin Rd.
• 2 people about 25 pets from All Good Dogs, a kennel at 160 Basin Rd.

“Some of the people that we had to evacuate, in particular from the , had already been evacuated from Jersey Shore communities and were now being evacuated for a second time. There were a few people who were being evacuated for a third time at that juncture. So that was a bit frustrating for us and certainly unsettling to those people,” Krawczun said.

Buses from the Lawrence Township school district were used to ferry evacuees (many with their pets) to the gym at Rider University, where they were offered water and sandwiches by Rider staff. From Rider, evacuees were reunited with family or, for those needing overnight accommodation, were transferred to a shelter that the American Red Cross set up at the West Trenton Volunteer Fire Co. firehouse in Ewing Township.

“The Rider evacuation site was for transitional purposes only,” Krawczun said. “This way they were taken out of harm’s way and placed in a safe environment. From Rider, they were redirected to family members who they could make arrangements to stay with, or they received transportation to West Trenton firehouse for those who needed extended sheltering situation.”

Krawczun said “Rider University responded within minutes to our request for assistance. There wasn’t any hesitation. As the situation developed, their level of response increased as the situation dictated. And we can’t thank them enough for the facilities and resources they were able to provide to us on short notice.”

The animals evacuated from the two kennels were relocated to the Mercer County Capt. John T. Dempster Sr. Fire Service Training Center on Lawrence Station Road so they could be picked up by their owners, while others were taken to the SAVE Animal Shelter in Princeton for safekeeping, Krawczun said.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Lawrence High School offered Internet and computer access, as well as the use of the shower facilities at the school’s pool, to township residents who were temporarily left without power or running water by the storm. Those services were discontinued as of 8 p.m. Wednesday. The township, meanwhile, offered non-potable water from two locations that residents could collect in their own containers for use to flush toilets in their homes.

Krawzcun said township emergency personnel faced several challenges during the storm.

“People did not heed the warnings [to stay home and shelter in place]. People driving into flooded areas and needing to be rescued was problematic,” he said.

The lack of cooperation by the operators of the Sleep-E-Hollow motel and Mount’s Motel was another problem, he said.

Based on lessons learned during – when severe flooding occurred along Brunswick Pike (Route 1) at Bakers Basin Road – township emergency management personnel went to the two motels in advance of the storm and “and requested they cease operations Saturday evening,” Krawczun said.

“Neither complied,” and occupants of the motels had to be rescued Sunday after that area flooded as predicted, he said.

He said power outages prevented many township residents from receiving timely storm updates, including information about road closures, via the Internet or the Reverse 911 phone system. “Our ability to communicate electronically was stymied by the loss of power,” he said.

And, in the midst of the storm, at 240 Bakers Basin Rd. became threatened by rising flood waters. That forced public works personnel to scramble and move hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of valuable equipment and vehicles to dry ground.

“And then we weren’t able to operate from that facility during the storm event. So that complicated the response,” Krawczun said. “But I will say, it didn’t make the response effort any less. I think the crews did a tremendous job under the circumstances and conditions to open roadways, remove debris and [Public Works Director] Greg Whitehead and his staff should be commended.

“I also think it’s important to recognize that our Emergency Management Coordinator Jack Oakley and Police Chief Daniel Posluszny had our emergency operations operating very well. I think that they should both be commended for their coordination and leadership,” he added.

“As far as the storm event itself, there was a lot of preparation. We were careful not to take this event lightly,” Krawczun said.

Township emergency management personnel held several meetings in advance of the storm. On Friday, that went into effect 6 p.m. that day. , which was scheduled to remain on the front lawn of the municipal building until Labor Day, was even taken down on Friday.

Volunteers from the township’s three fire companies reported to their respective stations about 9 p.m. Saturday and ended up responding to rescues, evacuations and other emergency calls almost non-stop from about 10 p.m. Saturday through to Sunday evening.

Many volunteers, after kissing their spouses and children goodbye Saturday night, did not return home to check on damage or flooding at their own homes until well after 6 p.m. Sunday. By then, some had been awake for over 36 hours and had spent 18 to 20 hours of that time soaking wet and physically working.

It was a common sight throughout the township Sunday to see volunteer firefighters removing their protective gear to dump out water that had filled their boots as they waded through flooded areas to rescue people. Many had blisters and sores on their feet and legs by Sunday night.

Many of the volunteers returned to their stations on Monday to pump water from flooded basements around town.

Police officers were called in on overtime to handle the volume of emergency calls and road closures. At the height of the storm, Krawczun said, there were 22 patrol officers and six commander, including Police Chief Daniel Posluszny, on duty.

He said extra police officers and township public works personnel went on duty at 11 p.m. Saturday, with additional staff coming in at 2 a.m. Sunday, and still other emergency management personnel – including the township’s four career firefighters – reporting to work at 6 a.m. Sunday. In addition, he noted, extra 911 dispatchers and ambulance personnel were on duty.

“It was quite reassuring that before, during and since the event there has been a lot of sharing of resources between communities in this area. And why I think that’s significant is because it’s the individuals who operate on the ground who were able to trade resources without the need to formalize shared services agreements. Shared services go on without the paperwork,” Krawczun said, pointing out how animal control officers from Princeton, Hopewell and Hamilton helped take care of the animals evacuated from the two kennels and how public works officials from Robbinsville Township sent over cots in the belief they might be needed for evacuees at Rider University.

Puliti added, “I would just like to thank the emergency management team for a job well done and all our emergency services personnel. And a special thank you to the volunteers for being there once again in a time of need.”

Previous Coverage:

Lawrence Firefighters Rescue Hundreds During Storm

Hurricane Irene: Storm Photos from Around Lawrence

Photo/Video Gallery: Red Roof Inn Flood Rescues

Photo Gallery: Flood Waters Collapse Basement Wall

Photo Gallery: National Guard Lends a Helping Hand

Photo Gallery: Hurricane Irene Damages Port Mercer

Photo Gallery: Lawrence Dries Out After Hurricane

Lawrence Residents, Rescuers 'Battled' Irene at Creek

Rescuers Locate Body of Man Who Was Sucked into Sewer System in Lawrence Township

Police Officially Release Name of Man Killed in Sewer, while Lawrence Township Mourns His Loss

Water Conservation Urged for Some in Lawrence Twp.

Need a Shower? Internet Service? Water to Flush Your Potty? Relax, Lawrence Township Has You Covered

Flashback: Hurricane Floyd Floods Lawrence in 1999

Officials: Lawrence Residents Should 'Shelter in Place'

Mayor Puliti Declares State of Emergency for Lawrence

Reporter’s Notebook: What's Happening in Lawrence