BREAKING – MANDATORY EVACUATIONS IN HOBOKEN AND JERSEY CITY: In Hoboken, evacuation for ground floor apartments, shelter opened at 8 p.m.; for Jersey City, see our list of evacuation zones below; Jersey City schools now closed Monday and Tuesday

HOBOKEN AND JERSEY CITY– The city of Hoboken issued a mandatory evacuation for ground floor apartments as of Sunday evening. They told residents to leave by midnight.
Meanwhile, Jersey City, on its website, listed several areas that have to evacuate by 7 a.m. Monday morning (see list below). That city also closed public and private schools for two days.
In Hoboken, in a recorded phone call, Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the city’s shelter at Wallace School was to open at 8 p.m. on Sunday. She also encouraged residents to open their homes to people living on the ground floor.
Jersey City said these areas must evacuate:

• Residents residing in ground floor/1st floor buildings for all streets EAST of Green Street from Essex Street North to Columbus Drive.
• Residents residing in ground floor/ 1st floor buildings for all streets EAST of Washington Boulevard from Columbus Drive North to 18th Street.
• Residents residing in ground floor/ 1st floor buildings in Port Liberte.
• Residents residing in ground floor/ 1st floor buildings in Society Hill and Country Village.

During Hurricane Ilene a year ago, both cities issued a similar evacuation. That hurricane ended up not being as dangerous as thought, but the oncoming Hurricane Sandy is forecast to be a bigger threat, as it is expected to make a direct hit on the Jersey Shore Monday.
The city of Hoboken announced:

Hoboken Public Schools will be closed on Monday, October 29, 2012. Updates will be posted to the Board of Education website: www.hoboken.k12.nj.us and the City’s website. All City parks and playgrounds will be closed at 3pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012 due to wind. All sports league practices scheduled for Monday are cancelled.
Shelter Information
The City will open a shelter at the Wallace School, located at 1100 Willow Avenue at 8pm. Residents going to the shelter may bring medication, a small toiletry bag, clothing for up to 3 days, and 3 days of baby supplies including diapers and formula. Pets are permitted and must be crated. Please bring enough pet food for three days. Residents who wish to donate non-perishable food for the shelter may drop off items at City Hall.
Emergency Operations Center
An Emergency Operations Center will be open 24/7 as of 1:00pm on Sunday, October 28 and staffed by City staff and CERT volunteers. Please call our Emergency Operations Center at 201-239-6644/6645/6647/6648 if you have general questions, in order to alleviate the strain on our public safety officials. For emergencies, residents should call 911 or the Hoboken Police Department at 201-420-2100 and Hoboken Fire Department at 201-420-2005/2007.

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