Latest news with #NorthPlainfield
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Brief but Violent Storms in New Jersey Leave 3 Dead
Three people were killed in central New Jersey on Thursday night when severe thunderstorms tore down massive trees and electrical lines, leaving thousands without power. The storms struck Thursday evening, shortly after 6 p.m. Powerful winds accompanied heavy rain and left widespread damage, uprooting more than 80 trees and causing power outages that affected about 45,000 people, according to a statement by the authorities. Two men died in the city of Plainfield, N.J., when a tree fell on their vehicle, and a woman died in the borough of North Plainfield when a tree fell on her car, the authorities said. In response, Fourth of July celebrations planned for Friday were canceled in Plainfield, allowing officials to concentrate on the cleanup. 'This is not the time to parade and celebrate,' Adrian O. Mapp, the mayor of Plainfield, said in an interview. 'We have to focus on the emergency at hand and support the impacted families and get normalcy restored as quickly as possible.' Mr. Mapp identified the two male victims in Plainfield as Rocco Sansone, 79, of North Plainfield and Brian Ernesto Valladares, 25, of Plainfield. North Plainfield police had not immediately released the identity of the female victim. Other parts of the country also spent July 4 recovering from powerful storms. High winds, heavy rain and hail lashed parts of southern New England and left many in the region without power on Thursday. In Kerr County, Texas, west of Houston, rain and flooding caused multiple deaths and widespread damage. Authorities in Texas said at least six people had died and others were missing as flood warnings remained in place on Friday. In New Jersey, the storms were brief but violent. Mr. Mapp said the storm that reached his town carried hail and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, but was over in five to 10 minutes. Mr. Mapp described huge trees swaying in the gusts and hail slamming against windows. 'It only lasted a short while, but the level of devastation that occurred across our entire city was something we have not seen in decades,' he said. Numerous homes suffered significant damage, Mr. Mapp added. Many of the downed trees were entangled with power lines and outages were widespread. The state's largest utility company, Public Service Electric & Gas, hoped to restore power to most residents by Friday night. Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey said on social media on Thursday that he had been briefed on the storms and added that they also struck the towns of Bound Brook and Dunellen, among others. He urged residents to 'avoid any downed trees, power lines, or burning transformers.' Skies in central New Jersey are expected to be clear over the weekend, but rain, with the possibility of more thunderstorms, is forecast for Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Plainfield, New Jersey storms blamed for at least 3 deaths, officials say
Three people were killed when severe thunderstorms swept through New Jersey on Thursday night, officials say. A spokesperson for the city of Plainfield said two men were killed when a tree fell onto a vehicle they were in. The victims have been identified as 79-year-old Rocco Sansone and 29-year-old Brian Ernesto Valladares. "Our hearts are heavy today. This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life," Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said in a statement. "We mourn with the families and stand ready to support them in every way possible." Sansone's sister said she got the tragic news in the middle of the night. "He was down to earth, he was a good guy. I just miss him," she said. Police in the borough of North Plainfield said a 44-year-old woman from Middlesex was also killed when a tree fell on top of her vehicle. It happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday as the woman was pulled over on Greenbrook Road. Her name has not been released. Plainfield, N.J. under state of emergency Severe thunderstorms swept through New Jersey on Thursday night, and Gov. Phil Murphy says multiple people were killed. CBS News New York The fast-moving storms brought down trees and power lines, and several towns have reported heavy damage. Plainfield was one of the hardest hit areas, where the mayor declared a state of emergency and canceled all Fourth of July festivities as the community focuses on cleaning up and rebuilding. North Plainfield is also under a state of emergency. "There will be a time when we will celebrate. But now is not the time," said Mapp. "We have to rise to the moment and make sure that we deal with the emergency at hand." Several trees came down along Putnam and Hillside avenues, including one that partially hit a home. It wrecked Donna Lynn's second floor office, but she said she's grateful for the long holiday weekend. "I work from home on Thursdays. I would have been up there working. And I was off yesterday," she said. Severe thunderstorms swept through New Jersey on Thursday night, and Gov. Phil Murphy says multiple people were killed. CBS News New York Many of the toppled trees pulled down power lines and left as many as 8,000 customers without electricity. Roads were blocked off by the debris, and police urged drivers to avoid fallen power lines that were hanging low into the street. "When I got home, I didn't think it was going to be this bad," one resident said Friday morning. "Plainfield's strong, we're going to recover, we're going to help each other recover from this." "We were out here last night cutting down the tree and getting tree limbs out of the road so that, hopefully, first responders could come fast. They see the road is clear, maybe they'll come and do the repairs soon," another resident added. New Jersey facing thousands of power outages Earlier Thursday, Edison and Metuchen saw similar scenes in Middlesex County. Huge trees snapped and littered the streets with their branches. Crews are still working to restore power to people who are stuck in the dark and without air conditioning. PSE&G said it hopes to have customers back online by 10 p.m. Friday. Meanwhile, Gov. Phil Murphy says he's in close touch with local mayors and emergency responders to provide support.
