Westfield and Hurricane Sandy: What You Need to Know

As Westfield braces for the impact of Hurricane Sandy, the town is making preparations.

The Westfield public school district announced that schools will be closed Monday, Oct. 29 and Tuesday, Oct. 30 due to the impending storm.

Holy Trinity Interparochial School will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Union Catholic High School and Union County Vocational Technical School District are closed Monday. 

According to the Town of Westfield's website, the town is mobilizing all resources to address any storm-related issues. Please visit the Hurricane Sandy Information Center for latest updates. Please also follow the Town on Twitter for the latest updates.

Ward 1 and 2 Recycling Rescheduled
Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Sandy, recycling pick-ups scheduled for Wards 1 and 2 on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30, will be re-scheduled for Friday, November 2.

As of Friday, Oct. 26, the town announced it has been in touch with PSE&G with respect to storm preparation efforts. For more information about PSE&G’s efforts as well as contact information and safety information, see PSE&G Ramps Up Preparation for Hurricane Sandy.

Keep Leaves Off Streets
URGENT - Please do not rake leaves into the street.

In preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, it is requested that you not place any leaves curbside over the weekend.  The Town was planning to begin leaf collections on Monday, Oct. 29, but with the storm forecast, it is important to optimize the stormwater collection system and minimize obstructions to the drainage course.

If you have already placed leaves curbside, please make sure that the pile is at least 12 inches from the curb to allow stormwaters to flow to the inlets, which will help minimize local street flooding.  Please note that, at any time, leaves cannot be placed closer than 10 feet from any stormwater inlet.

NJ TRANSIT to begin gradual suspension of service
NJ TRANSIT will implement a gradual system-wide shutdown of all bus, rail, light rail and Access Link service, starting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 28 and continuing through 2 a.m. on Monday morning.

Raritan Valley Line

• Train 5538 will be the last train departing Raritan, leaving at 8:16 p.m. and arriving in Newark Penn Station at 11:15 p.m.
• Train 5543 will be the last train departing Newark Penn Station, leaving at 11:38 p.m. and arriving in Raritan at 12:44 a.m.

Full details available on NJTransit.com.

The Westfield Memorial Library has cancelled the iPad class originally scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29.

On Friday, Alan's Orchard's Fred Logue said the impending storm had him fearing there could be an early end to Fresh Box season as wind and rain could wreak havoc on local farms. For more information, visit Alan's Orchard's Facebook page. 

Savory Spice Shop, Bittersweet Designs, Bovella's and the Westfield Y will be closed on Monday, Oct. 29.

Do you know of any other local closings? If so, add them in the comments section and we'll continue to update this story.