Friday, January 11, 2013
A special musical tribute from colleagues of retiring emergency management coordinator Ira Marks.
What a send-off! In tribute to retiring Emergency Management Coordinator Ira Marks, borough employees, residents and friends lip-synced mega-hit "Call Me Maybe." Filmed over a period of three weeks – with tapings during the day and at night in various Fair Lawn locales – it's pretty clear there's a lot of love for Ira. Inside Fair Lawn's Wayne Robbins produced the Carly Rae Jepson-inspired gem, along with Borough Manager Tom Metzler and Human Service's Liz Twiggs. You absolutely must check the video out!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Wendy Demeraski, who replaced Ira Marks as the borough's emergency management coordinator this week, was sworn in on Thursday night by Mayor John Cosgrove.
Fair Lawn officially welcomed a new emergency management coordinator Thursday when Wendy Demeraski was sworn into the role at the council's re-organization meeting. Demeraski assumes the part-time, but essential role of coordinating the borough's response in times of emergency that had been held previously by Ira Marks, who retired at the end of last year. "This is a significant event," said borough manager Tom Metzler Thursday, himself a former Fair Lawn OEM coordinator. "She will be only the fourth emergency managment coordinator in the [borough's history]." Demeraski, 32, is also the youngest OEM coordinator and the first female to hold the post in borough history. As such her duties will involve maintaining the borough's emergency …
Sunday, October 30, 2011
If you've lost power, the Community Center and Library are open until 5 p.m. for anyone who wants to warm up
UPDATE: -- 7:15 p.m. PSE&G has revised its estimate of the number of Fair Lawn homes without power down to 2,001-5,000. It had previously been 5,001-10,000 homes. I can confirm that parts of Radburn have been restored, but not all of it. PSE&G has left Radburn for the night, but will return first thing in the morning to finish up, police said. -- 4:30 p.m. Patch is waiting on confirmation from Superintendent Bruce Watson about school closings. No decisions have been made. Delays and closing are still possible. Also in Radburn, police report that a low-flying PSE&G helicopter is surveying for damages. Do not be alarmed. -- Between one-quarter and one-half of Fair Lawn residents are without power Sunday, according to various estimates from …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Passaic River flash flooded last night and will continue rising into Friday, with water again expected to reach into resident's homes
As persistent rain continues to pelt Fair Lawn, water levels are rising and flooding is again expected to affect residents living on the Passaic River Basin. Water levels at Little Falls had reached 7.62 feet by 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and are expected to continue rising over the next couple days, cresting at 10.5 feet on Friday afternoon. Emergency management chief Ira Marks said residents living in the flood plain were notified by phone Tuesday night that water would again reach their homes. He said he's been receiving dozens of calls from concerned residents. Already, a rare Passaic River flash flood closed Wagaraw Road Tuesday night. Water levels receded over night, and the road re-opened this morning. A flood warning for all of Bergen …
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Charts break down the number of Fair Lawn residents and businesses that have been affected in some way by last week's flooding
It’s been a week now since Irene became the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey in 108 years. She swept through Fair Lawn last Sunday morning, dumping rain, uprooting trees and outing power lines along the way. But more devastating than Irene’s initial jaunt through town were the slow-rising Passaic flood waters that followed her. On Tuesday morning, at their highest point, Passaic River water levels measured 14.19 feet according to the flood gauge nearest Fair Lawn – more than five feet above “major” flood level. The one and only time levels have risen above Tuesday’s cresting point came way back in 1903, when Fair Lawn was still farmland. That year, they reached 17.5 feet. “Flooding was what I expected,” Fair Lawn’s emergency …
Friday, September 2, 2011
Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be in Fair Lawn this weekend to survey damages
Federal Emergency Management Agency reps will stop briefly in Fair Lawn this weekend to survey damage and form assistance plans for the area. The assessment follows President Barack Obama's declaration Wednesday that labeled New Jersey a major disaster area. The declaration allows the federal government to award FEMA assistance to local residents, and state and municipal governments in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset counties. Fair Lawn borough will hold two public meetings next week to answer questions about the FEMA program and arm residents with what they should know to procure the greatest amount of federal aid. Fair Lawn Emergency Management coordinator Ira Marks said he couldn't guarantee that attending one of the …
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Emergency management coordinator Ira Marks requests that residents who have had their gas or power lines shut off due to flooding check with PSE&G before bringing them back on line.
Fair Lawn rescue squad members flanked by PSE&G workers traveled door-to-door Tuesday through some of the town’s most flood-ravaged areas, shutting off gas lines for residents who complained of odors and potential gas leaks. Though not mandatory, many residents requested the service shutdown procedure for both power and gas lines because gas leaks can occur when water seeps in and puts out pilot lights. As residents prepare to go back on the grid, emergency management coordinator Ira Marks has requested that all homeowners call PSE&G to come out and perform a thorough check of appliances to ensure there are no gas leakages or electrical problems that would make them a hazard to use. If you haven’t memorized it by now, PSE&G ‘s number is 1-…
Paper and cardboard recycling has been canceled for the remainder of the week so recycling department workers can assist with town-wide clean-up efforts
Street fishing season in Fair Lawn will soon be over, folks. Stagnant water pools around Fair Lawn are starting to clear as the Passaic slowly recedes, revealing previously hidden debris that needs to be cleaned up. Depending on where you live, emergency management coordinator Ira Marks said that it could be anywhere from Friday to Monday before roads will be entirely clear of flood water. Since cresting on Tuesday, the Passaic River is down close to three feet, according to the nearest gauge at Little Falls, which read 11.45 feet, as of 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Marks said that when the gauge measures 9 feet, water will be out of the streets entirely, except for the occasional puddle. Once that happens, the remaining mud and debris will be …
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Passaic River had receded this morning, but it will be back, Emergency Management Coordinator Ira Marks warns
A morning check outside made it plain to see that water levels in Fair Lawn had decreased noticeably. The flood is over, you might think. And you'd be right, partially. The Saddle River had dropped well below flood level by 1 p.m. and will stay that way. The same can't be said for the Passaic. Emergency Management Coordinator Ira Marks said the worst is yet to come for Passaic-side residents. Flash flooding, which Fair Lawn residents experienced Sunday, is caused by heavy rainfall, like that experienced during Hurricane Irene. Water levels rise rapidly and then drop just as rapidly after the storm passes. The Saddle River flash floods almost exclusively, Marks said. But the Passaic rarely does -- although yesterday was the third time it …
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Updates on how Fair Lawn is faring against the hurricane
9:30 a.m. Water level of Passaic River at Little Falls: 8.63 feet (Fair Lawn floods at 9.8 feet) Water level of Saddle River at Lodi: 9.89 feet (Fair Lawn floods at 8 feet). 9:10 a.m. River Road is closed at the Elmwood Park border and Wagaraw Road. Emergency management coordinator Ira Marks said that by early tomorrow morning, he expects the Passaic River to be in people's homes. By Tuesday, Marks said he expects the Passaic to be some 5 feet higher than it currently sits. If that happens, it would be the worst flood in Fair Lawn since 1903, when the area was farmland. 9:00 a.m. Arcadia Road has flooded, resident reports Water level of Saddle River at Lodi: 9.53 feet (Fair Lawn floods at 8 feet). 8:30 a.m. Water level of Passaic River at …
Wayne Robbins
10:49 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Thanks Cornell...it was a great project - Ira and his family are still laughing. more ›