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Well not sure where you parked but someone took my super awesome dug out spot while I sat at the airport through yet two more cancelled flights

But I hold no grudges to you. Nicest neighbor of the year award goes to the person who walked up the stairs to my front porch (from the street since neither neighbor had yet shoveled) and stole my snow shovel while I went in for a BRIEF hydration break at 11 this morning.

To the A-Holes who park at the bus stop.. WHo to call to get them towed?

There are so many candidates on Grove Street I don't know how to choose...I took this photo about 40 minutes ago...almost 2 days after it's stopped snowing

A Gold Star to the neighbor who dug out a parking spot that was waiting for me as I returned from western Pennsylvania. I'm sure they hate me right now.

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Leigh, Leigh, don't you know there are boundaries you can't cross, and peoples right to risk their babies lives is one of them? Our beligerent daddy here clearly believes it's not only his right to act foolhardy, but also to smash in the face anyone who dares to disagree with anything his manly self chooses to do, including hitting women apparently. Now hush up and maybe he'll eventually succeed in canceling his genetic line.

My favorite Darwin Award wannabees is the mothers who push their babies strollers daringly into the street against the light with clearly oncoming traffic. Are they just needing a little adrenaline thrill, or are they feeling postpartum depression? Surely just getting where they're going can't be so important that they risk their child's life on whether I'm not distracted tuning the radio or checking out some female type scenery, since I know I have the green light.

CHATTY KATHY... ON ICE

Has anyone else noticed more drivers than usual talking on their cell phones (not via bluetooth?one hand on mobile, the other on the wheel) while driving? I took a long walk today, and it seemed like every other car whizzing down Erie had a one-handed, mobile-using driver.

(@Toonces: glad I made you smile! It's definitely absurd.)

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my money's on the toddler. kids are pretty clumsy, especially on the ice.

Armchair Parenting Award

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Say it to my face next time you floppy haired fop and we'll see who gets sent headfirst into the cement.

FATHER OF THE YEAR AWARD:

To the dad giving his toddler a piggy-back ride on his shoulders walking down the icy (and partially uncleared) sidewalks along Jersey Ave today.

I understand if you don't want to make your kid walk in the slush, but what makes you think she won't get sent headfirst into the cement if you slip?

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My partner got a pic of that!!! The dude (or at least, some dude) was digging out when we walked by.

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MOST RECKLESS DEMONSTRATION OF ABANDONED VEHICLE AWARD:

The asshat who abandoned their yellow Mustang GT at the southwest CORNER of the intersection of Grove Street and Montgomery. It must have been sometime Sunday night because it was decently covered/surround by snow. It was there as of 10am this morning (since removed). It made it so that only 1 lane of Montgomery was passable, forcing the east-west traffic to meter themselves

Hey Hitchcock,
Let's make a deal. I'll give you a state of the art, brand new shovel if you dig a path in front of my house. I am out of state, neglecting my civic responsibilty. Let me know.

I'm one of the shovel-less morons. (I lost the shovel in the divorce and didn't think to replace it until a blizzard. I know.)

Has anyone had to buy a shovel today? Does the hardware store on Newark have some, or is Home Depot a better bet?

If anyone around Hamilton Park feels like lending me a shovel on Tuesday, holler.

PLEASE DON'T ENACT YOUR DEATH WISH ON OUR CARS award...

...to the 18-wheeler that got stuck trying to turn from Jersey, off of the tunnel approach, onto 10th. It was mind-boggling. And the cars parked on 10th off of Jersey very nearly bit 18-wheeler dust.

The TRYING TO GET TBONED BY LADDER 16 AWARD
To the idiot driver that decided to first honk at and then drive around Ladder 16 with its emergency lights on. L16 was half backed onto Jersey Ave from Second Street because it was stuck in the snow and was trying to back out onto Jersey Ave.

THE FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR AWARD

For anyone who went out to help neighbors shovel today (and possibly met neighbors for the first time like me).

Anyone else have neighbors who STILL didn't have shovels? I found this weird.

THE GOING THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE WAY AWARD

For all of the idiots in the heights who chose to go down my street the wrong way and almost cause about 100 or so accidents.

NOSY NEIGHBOR AWARD

I should probably claim this as I spent half of the day looking out the window watching people act foolish. Including the idiot who HIT my car...luckily I was watching out the window and able to run down and talk to him. Of course he denied it, good thing the snow showed proof. No worries tho, no damage done. Just maybe to his ego after I yelled a bit for him RAMMING back and forth to try to PUSH out of the snow instead of just shoveling it.

1. What is a State of Emergency?

The Governor declares a State of Emergency when he/she believes a disaster has occurred or may be imminent that is severe enough to require State aid to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damages, loss, hardship or suffering. This declaration authorizes the Governor to speed State agency assistance to communities in need. It enables him to make resources immediately available to rescue, evacuate, shelter, provide essential commodities (i.e., heating fuel, food, etc.) and quell disturbances in affected localities. It may also position the State to seek federal assistance when the scope of the event exceeds the State's resources.

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2. Does a State of Emergency declaration direct citizens to take any particular action?

No. The declaration empowers the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) to act on behalf of the Governor to employ the resources and assets of State, local and private agencies to provide immediate assistance to localities. Typically, the New Jersey State Police, National Guard, and departments of Environmental Protection, Transportation and Health are called upon rather quickly to respond to the event, and other departments are added as needed.

After the Governor issues the declaration, NJOEM puts the State Emergency Operations Plan into effect. It may also activate the State Emergency Operations Center to full 24-hour staffing to coordinate and direct State response and recovery operations. In addition, NJOEM may call on a number of private agencies such as the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) network to fulfill critical missions. The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) often provides backup emergency communications and the Civil Air Patrol may assist in search and rescue missions.

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3. Does a State of Emergency mean you aren't allowed to go anywhere or do anything until it's lifted?

A: The Governor's declaration does not normally restrict citizen movements or activities. The State may limit access to affected areas due to concerns for public safety but will notify the public of these restrictions. If it is necessary to impose vehicular or personal movement restrictions, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management will alert the public using all available means, including, but not limited to: the Emergency Alert System, urgent press releases, DOT highway signs, law enforcement teletypes, etc. Every effort will be made by NJOEM to facilitate safe passage for utility, health care and emergency services workers whose presence is necessary for public safety or in response to the Emergency.

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4. How long does a State of Emergency remain in effect?

The Governor will rescind the State of Emergency when it is no longer needed to provide necessary support to localities or until the threat of impending danger from the event has passed.

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5. Does a declaration of emergency bar the sale or provision of goods and services?

The Governor's declaration does not address restrictions on the sale or provision of goods or services. However, your locality may enact restrictions under their local emergency declaration. We recommend that you contact your local government for any specific information.

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6. Is it an employer's responsibility to pay employees who cannot get to work during a State of Emergency?

A: The Governor's declaration does not mandate administrative policies for individual businesses or address workplace situations in which employees are unable to travel. Businesses must address hours of operation and compensation on an individual basis. Once a federal disaster is declared, employees unable to work may be eligible for unemployment assistance.

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7. Are all State Offices closed during a State of Emergency?

The Governor's declaration does not automatically close State Offices. Should it be necessary due to conditions experienced during the Emergency to scale back or close State Offices, the Governor will make an announcement to his/her Cabinet and through the media, similar to what is done during a snow storm.


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"Disaster" shall mean any unusual incident resulting from natural or unnatural causes which endangers the health, safety or resources of the residents of one or more municipalities of the State, and which is or may become too large in scope or unusual in type to be handled in its entirety by regular municipal operating services. (N.J.S.A. App.A:9-33.1)

THE GENERAL'S CHICKEN CAN WAIT A SECOND LONGER AWARD
To the delivery driver of a certain Newark Avenue Chinese restaurant who made an illegal turn way too quickly and then slid into the path of oncoming traffic at about 6:30 this evening. Fortunately no accident occurred.

The PIZZA DELIVERY AWARD
To the idiot pizza delivery driver who drives down a street with five foot snow drifts and doesn't expect to get stuck.

The I GOT A MERCEDES SUV AWARD
To the idiot couple who drives out of the garage and purposely plowing into the six foot snow drift expecting to get through because they have a brand new SUV. Yep, stuck on a plateau of snow.

and The I KNOW NOTHING AWARD
to any idiot who doesn't understand how a front wheel drive car will react in the snow.

Paulus Hook was full of these last night and today.

Bogart this is from the same website:

The Governor's declaration does not normally restrict citizen movements or activities. The State may limit access to affected areas due to concerns for public safety but will notify the public of these restrictions. If it is necessary to impose vehicular or personal movement restrictions, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management will alert the public using all available means, including, but not limited to: the Emergency Alert System, urgent press releases, DOT highway signs, law enforcement teletypes, etc. Every effort will be made by NJOEM to facilitate safe passage for utility, health care and emergency services workers whose presence is necessary for public safety or in response to the Emergency.


So, the state or local municipality can indeed restrict the activities of citizens if it is in the interest of public safety. During other snow storms and natural disasters, the state has indeed restricted vehicular traffic to emergency vehicles only. Whether or not this was done during this storm, I don't know. It probably should have if it wasn't.

Declaring a state of emergency does not limit the activities of citizens or require them to do anything:

The Governor declares a State of Emergency when he/she believes a disaster has occurred or may be imminent that is severe enough to require State aid to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damages, loss, hardship or suffering. This declaration authorizes the Governor to speed State agency assistance to communities in need. It enables him to make resources immediately available to rescue, evacuate, shelter, provide essential commodities (i.e., heating fuel, food, etc.) and quell disturbances in affected localities. It may also position the State to seek federal assistance when the scope of the event exceeds the State's resources.

http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/soe_faq.html

The meaning is similar for the city's declaration.

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So where are dogs supposed to go? Toilets?

So here is my question, if there was a statewide state of emergency, as well as a city wide state of emergency issued by Healy and the JC OEM last night (I found it on the city's homepage finally) , why did JC have the municipal offices open today? And why was there no enforcement of keeping all non-emergency vehicles off the roads? I found an exceptionally high amount of drivers driving exceptionally fast while people were trying to make their way on foot along the streets.

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Sometimes the States will do this as a legal matter. For instance, you could not be fired for not reporting to your job because a "state of emergency" has been declared. Also, it does keep people off the roadways so that they can be more easily cleared, salted etc. And then there is the money...

Was there a state of emergency officially declared in Jersey City, Hudson County, or the entire state of New Jersey?

If so, does anyone have a link to where this/these announcements was/were made?

If not, all levels of government in this state get a big FAIL.

It's a fight to the finish down here on the Western Slope. We never got plowed it seems that the cars that tried to barrel through during the course of the day created a track for other cars later in the day. The only problem is that there is only room for one lane of traffic and Columbia, Liberty, and Terrace avenues are two way streets. So now you have cars backed up from the intersections as many as 6 cars at a pop. There should be a rule of thumb that during state of emergencies such as snow each street should be one way in opposite directions of each other. Mayor Healy stated on the radio that the Heights didn't get the plowing attention it should have due to drivers abandoning their vehicles on the east/west side streets and the north/south Western Slope roads.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH AWARD...

Bestowed upon any brave soul that got it in gear this morning and made it into work...

PAY FOR PARKING BUT DON'T GET PARKING
9th Street Urban Renewal Parking on Erie between 9th & 10th
$150/month but can't get a parking space anytime it snows because they don't get on their snow removal and all the covered spots are taken.

I'll kick off the nominations...

MOST CREATIVE SHOVELING
The "s" curves under the embankment on Erie between 6th and 7th.

THE YELLOW "SLICK" ROAD BAD NEIGHBOR AWARD
To the doggie owners who have helped turn the pristine white pathways into stinking amber slop.

THE SNOW TROOPER AWARD
To all the kids making use of Hamilton Park

THE OH NO SNOWED OUT AWARD
To Buy Rite Liquors, Salvation Army, and Burke's Bar, all of which denied me liquid refreshment and warmth.