County Issues State of Emergency, Driving Ban Starting at 8 P.M.

Union County is under a state of emergency and a county-wide driving ban starts at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The county issued the driving ban at 4 p.m. on Saturday in anticipation of the impact of Hurricane Irene, according to Westfield Fire Chief Dan Kelly, the town's emergency management coordinator. Kelly said the ban starts at 8 p.m. and remains in effect until further notice.

The driving ban impacts all non-emergency vehicles.

“We are urging residents to remain at home, and stay off the roads now and through any recovery phase until the travel ban is lifted,” County Public Safety Director Andrew Moran said in a statement.

Officials are monitoring the storm from the county's emergency operations center on North Avenue in Westfield.

The county's state of emergency follows similar declarations by Gov. Chris Christie and President Obama and various local leaders. Cranford Mayor Dan Aschenbach has ordered a mandatory evacuation of 850 homes in his town's flood prone areas, and Rahmay Mayor Rick Proctor is evacuating parts of his community.

Many communities are preparing for high winds and fallen trees when the height of the storm reaches New Jersey on Saturday evening into Sunday. Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky said the town is prepared for the potential of trees falling around town, while Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt has announced a possible evacuation shelter for his community at the Mennen Arena in Morris Plains if needed.