The weather outside was certainly frightful last Saturday and the motoring around Hudson County was far from delightful when 16 inches of snow fell on the area. But it definitely turned the area into a winter wonderland, just in time for local residents to ring in the New Year.
The 16 inches of snow measured in Weehawken by the National Weather Service represented the biggest snowfall in Hudson County in almost five years. It was the biggest storm since the blizzard of January, 1996, when a record 30 inches of snow were dumped on Hudson County, causing entire towns to shut down for days. However, that wasn’t the case this time. Although 16 inches represents a major snowstorm, the weather reports helped residents to brace for the impact. In fact, even in the hilly terrain and the narrow streets of Weehawken, officials were more than ready.
According to Hudson County officials, there were no snow related fatalities or major traffic accidents. There were a handful of fender benders sprinkled through the area, but none reported in Weehawken during the course of the storm.
Snow removal is always a chore in Weehawken, because of the hills. Just ask Vincent Giusto, the township’s Director of Public Works, who coordinated crews around the clock to deal with the snow removal.
“From my standpoint, it’s a nightmare,” Giusto said. “But I have to commend everyone working together to get rid of the snow. It was a cooperative effort from everyone. I think we were all trained and prepared by that 1996 blizzard. Everything we did referred back to that blizzard. [That blizzard] really helped us, but honestly, I don’t want that much help again.”
Giusto said that all of the township’s manpower went to work to combat the storm. Workers from the Housing Authority, the Parks Department, the Board of Education, the Weehawken Police, the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue and the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey all loaned manpower, as well as equipment use, to the effort of snow removal.
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said that the accurate weather forecasts also helped the efforts.
“The reports were extremely accurate,” Turner said. “Everyone was right on target, so we were definitely ready for it. We heard about the storm all week, so I think we were psychologically ready for it as well. But to make sure, we go through drills in October to make sure everything is ready.”
Turner also said that the storm also had perfect timing.
“It really helped that the storm came in the middle of a holiday weekend, on a Saturday, where there’s no rush hour,” Turner said. “Usually, the traffic hinders our ability to deal with the streets, but this time, there was nobody on the roads. So we were able to get to the streets rapidly.”
Turner applauded the cooperative efforts from all sources.
“We received great cooperation from the Port Authority’s maintenance staff, which provided us with a front-end loader and two dump trucks to go along with the ones that we already had. So we were able to pick up the snow and move what we could.”
A lot of the snow was picked up and moved toward the waterfront, where it was dumped.
Giusto said that the township employs a special strategy for snow removal. Instead of just driving up and down the streets dropping salt and later utilizing plows, Giusto instructs his drivers to back up the hilly streets, in order that the salt is properly laid. Plows are then put into action when two inches have fallen.
And when 16 inches fall, it’s a continuous effort to remove the snow everywhere.
“We make a major effort to free up parking and to keep the key intersections clear,” Giusto said. “We also removed the snow from the public buildings right away. And I had four workers who went right around the clock. They slept in the office for a few hours, then went right back out to the streets.”
Giusto was personally involved with the snow removal efforts, working from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. all week. On Thursday, he was spotted driving one of the township’s plows, along with township manager James Marchetti, who was commandeering another of the township’s snow removal vehicles.
“I can’t begin to count how many hours we’ve spent on getting rid of the snow,” Giusto said. “I’m 70 years old now. I can’t go all night like I used to. But we drove around the streets, making sure that everything was clear.” “I can’t say enough about the public works workers,” Turner said. “Some worked 48 straight hours. It takes a lot of dedication in doing so.”
The Board of Education also helped by opening all three of the grade school’s parking lots for motorists who can’t find parking on the street.
“Opening the school yards for emergency parking is something we’ve been looking into to help with the parking problem,” Turner said. “The storm has been the beginning of the program.”
Weehawken residents can now park in the lots at Roosevelt, Wilson and Webster Schools from 9 p.m. until 6:30 a.m., as long as the cars are removed from the lots in time for classes the next day.
“If people don’t cooperate with the designated times, then they will be towed at their own expense,” Turner said. “So far, things have worked out well, as long as people pay attention and are out of the lots when they’re supposed to be out.”
Emergency medical personnel were more than ready to handle the onslaught.
“It’s amazing, but we’ve had a very limited number of calls,” said Jeff Welz, the co-director of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue. “It was very quiet. We weathered the storm quite well.”
“We really had no problems,” Turner said. “The police made sure that there was no double parking and the streets remained clear. The residents have all been great. Everyone pulled together and there were zero complaints.”
Giusto echoed the sentiments.
“Our men really do a great job,” Giusto said. “But even in 1996, when other towns were having problems, our streets were clear the first night. Taxi companies and delivery people call me to commend us on keeping the streets clear.”
It’s also safe to say that the snow will remain for a while. Last week, weather reports called for more of the white stuff over the weekend. Which meant Giusto’s crew will be hard at work once again.