Mayor's Weekly Message: Flood Cleanup after Ida

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the famous opening line from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities seems applicable to many of us dealing with difficult circumstances in our small corner of the world. 

After the initial wave of Covid and even dealing with the deadlier Delta variant, people are getting back to work and our normal way of life is finally returning. 

Then in a short time period of 5 weeks, a series of environmental events capped off by Ida has radically changed the playing field from that normal way of life to despair for many. Although one cannot juxtapose the French Revolution era (as in the novel) to current events here, such extreme opposing mindsets have evolved nontheless. 

This historical flood event has been described as the worst in terms of severity, damage and the amount of rain in such a short period of time. 

Flood Disposal Pickups, Continued

As of Friday, 9/17/21 the Department of Public Works completed their initial emergency flood disposal pickup. Please be advised that this operation will continue for residents to call in for additional pickups. As hot water heaters and furnaces are being replaced and disposed at the curb, after the initial pickup it is understood that they will be picked up thereafter. 

Any and all flood-damaged bulk put out subsequent to the initial bulk pickup will be considered illegal dumping. Cinder block and other related damaged foundation material will eventually be picked up. In addition, disposing of non-flood related bulk may incur a charge to the residents. We ask for your patience regarding the foundation material pickup since it is more critical that the other flood-damaged bulk be addressed first. 

The “pipeline” for the Borough to get rid of the incredible amount of tonnage of bulk has been overwhelmed at the receiving stations. In the meantime, we are storing the material on a vacant asphalt field away from residential housing. When the final numbers come in, this will be the largest amount of bulk tonnage that Middlesex Borough has picked up for a single event. Our DPW workers went over and above to ensure that this difficult task be efficiently accomplished. 

Important Notes

FEMA

Please register with FEMA at your earliest convenience. At this time, owner-occupied residences will be considered for grants while non-owner occupied residences will be considered for low interest loans through their partner the SBA (Small Business Administration). 

Nixle

Please sign up and register with the Middlesex Borough Police Department Nixle service (text “ MIDDLESEXPD” to 888777. You can register free of charge to receive important text messages. 

Illegal Dumping 

For flood damaged neighborhoods, please be vigilant and not allow non-flood-related bulk to be placed at your curb after the fact. Not only is this illegal but will significantly impact on collection services. 

Gas service and Replacing Appliances

If Public Service shut off your gas it is for good safety reasons. Most of the flood damaged properties had some degree of gas leakage in their residences. A spark could trigger an explosion. 

All replaced gas appliances must be inspected and approved prior to the gas being turned on. 

Neighbors

Whenever possible please lend a helping hand to a neighbor or friend who may be dealing with this devastating flood especially for the first time. It can be overwhelming for them to put a recovery plan in place. 

Be mindful that older residents are in a very difficult position that they never expected to be in all of a sudden. They may not have the resources to restore their residence, property and lives as needed. 

Together, we can keep“ the spring of hope” and minimize “the winter of despair”. 

Please be safe. 
Mayor John L. Madden