Threat of Hurricane Sandy Closes Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook Schools on Monday, Tuesday

With Hurricane Sandy closing in on the area, Fair Lawn superintendent Bruce Watson and Saddle Brook superintendent Kathryn Fedina have chosen to close all schools in their respective communities on Monday and Tuesday.

Fair Lawn sent out a SwiftReach alert to all parents and posted the information on its website around 3 p.m. Saddle Brook followed suit a few hours later.

Fair Lawn emergency management coordinator Ira Marks said that extra precautions have been taken this year at Memorial Middle School, which suffered flood damage in Hurricane Irene and remained closed for a month following the storm.

In addition to sandbagging all entrances to the building, which was largely successful last year, the district's buildings and grounds crew has also sealed the school's vents.

Marks said water that rose above three feet and entered the building's vents caused the bulk of the damage suffered at Memorial last year.

"They’re doing their best to cover it and protect it," he said. "Will water still get in? I’m sure. But will it be as bad as last year? I hope not."

Rosenberg said the district is still in the process of preparing contingency plans should Memorial flood again and its students be forced to relocate elsewhere in the borough for classes.

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