They declared a state of emergency at 6:30 p.m., making the city eligible for public funding.
Later on, 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo sent out a press release saying, "We took this action because the mayor was negligent in his duties either because he thought it was unnecessary or he could not make the decision."
But last week, Roberts disputed the claims of Russo, who is up for re-election this May. Roberts has endorsed Russo's 3rd Ward council opponent, Frank Raia, in the upcoming May 8 City Council race.
Roberts said that he had declared an official state of emergency 45 minutes before the council did, and that since the early afternoon, he had been contacting the proper authorities.
According to Roberts it is up to the mayor to declare a state of emergency, not the City Council.
The declaration enabled the city to receive additional help from other agencies, such as the New Jersey State and Port Authority Police, as well as possible reimbursement funds for the federal government.
Roberts further questioned the legality of the council meeting.
According to Michael Russo, the meeting was called because the mayor did not alert council members of his intention to declare the emergency, forcing them to take action. He said the council members could not reach Roberts by cell phone.
Roberts said last week that for several hours that day, while he was going through the proper procedures regarding the storm, he was also hard to reach by phone because he was at the site of a massive fire at General Lumber Yard at 200 Clinton Street (see briefs page).
Roberts is backed up by an official source within the Office of Emergency Management who did not want his name used. The source said that Roberts had been in contact with Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Joel Mestre and Police Captain James Fitzsimmons, who is the emergency management coordinator, all day, since the morning hours. The source said that Roberts had discussed declaring a state of emergency earlier in the day.
According to City Council President Richard Del Boccio, the mayor finally reached out to him at 8:10 p.m., which is when Del Boccio was alerted of the emergency declaration.
However, Russo was not the only one who took issue with the city's handling of the situation. Fourth Ward candidate Dawn Zimmer raised concerns over the city's inability to prevent flooding in the southwest region of town, an issue that has been a problem there for some time.
"It's time for the city to take responsibility and hire an environmental engineer to provide recommendations and options to how we're going to resolve the issues in the southwest," said Zimmer. "It's unbelievable. We're dealing with raw sewage in the streets, and the City Council is trying to push through a plan to add 1,100 condos to the area."
Zimmer was referring to the city's proposed Southwest Redevelopment plan, which was tabled at a recent City Council meeting pending recommendations for the Planning Board.
One of Zimmer's opponents, Councilman Christopher Campos, responded to her comments.
Campos said, "Without the plan, developers could apply for variances without investing in the area's infrastructure, placing the burden on the taxpayer. That's unacceptable. The developer should be forced to pay for improvements to the infrastructure, more affordable housing and more open space, all of which is required in the plan."
Why it floods
Mayor David Roberts discussed last week how the city would prevent further flooding.
"This has been the worst storm since 1862," he said last week. "[I want to] thank the citizens of Hoboken for bearing with us and to let them now that in the next 12 months, a $50 million project [by NJ Transit and the North Hudson Sewerage Authority] is going to be underway that will make improvements to the infrastructure." Roberts said that NJ Transit told him that the city would receive a much-needed drainage pipe within the next 12 months.
Hoboken suffered from flooding last week partly because of the high tides of the Hudson River during the storm. The tide at one point reached 7.5 feet above sea level. Stormwater and floodwater heading into Hoboken's sewers could not be released into the river because at a certain elevation, the tide gates prevent it from going in. This is a safety mechanism to prevent water from the river from heading back through Hoboken and into the sewerage plant.
In addition, parts of the 4th Ward, on the southwest part of town, are only 3.5 feet above sea level. There used to be a creek at the foot of the Palisades hills.
Campos said last week, "The city has come up with a comprehensive plan to resolve the flooding problems, and what we need is a $50 million capital infusion, which is being provided by New Jersey Transit and the North Hudson Sewerage Authority."
2nd Ward candidate Elizabeth Mason, who feared that this might be the first of several storms to hit Hoboken during the hurricane season this year, also had concerns with the amount of development going on throughout the city. Mason said she is concerned about the city's failure to provide an evacuation plan in case of an emergency.
Last year, Mayor Roberts promised that residents would receive an emergency management pamphlet before the end of hurricane season. Yet, a plan was never released.
Mason asked that the council impose a six-month moratorium on development, citing a New Jersey State Municipal Land Use law in which the city is authorized to conduct such an action if the health, safety, and welfare of residents are at stake.
According to Mestre, the reason the evacuation plan has not been made available was that it was in the process of being updated. He said it will be put onto the city's website within a few weeks.
The city's response to the flood
In an attempt to prevent future flooding, the North Hudson Sewerage Authority (NHSA), which oversees the sewerage systems for Hoboken, West New York, Union City and Weehawken, plans to install four wet-weather pump stations along the waterfront.
The pumps will be located along River Street at Newark, 4th, 11th and 15th Streets, allowing the city's sewerage system to propel water out into the Hudson River no matter what the tide's height is.
The current system's gates prevent ocean water from seeping back into Hoboken's sewerage treatment plant. According to NHSA Executive Director Fred Pocci, the project will take approximately two years and will cost about $32 million. Although it can be started within nine to 12 months, Pocci said that NJ Transit must first install a double-barrel sewerage line along Observer Highway, stretching from Park to Newark Street, at a cost of $20 million.
In an attempt to accelerate the process, the City Council approved a resolution in an 8-0-1 vote Wednesday evening, urging the immediate construction of the storm water ejector system.
Councilman-At-Large Peter Cammarano abstained because NJT is a client of his law firm. According to Pocci, in addition to the installation of the pump stations, Hoboken's southwest region will also have its trunk lines cleaned. Trunk lines are 4-foot wide pipes that take water out to the river. This will cost the NHSA approximately $8 million.
Reimbursement and tax deadline
According to Mestre, it has not yet been determined whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse homeowners in Hoboken who have property damage from the storm.
Mestre requested that residents with damage document it through pictures, so that if at a later date the government agrees to compensate Hoboken storm victims, they have proof.
The Internal Revenue Service also said that residents affected by the storm could hand in their taxes by April 26 instead of April 17. For more information, see www.irs.gov.
Michael Mullins can be reached at mmullins@hudsonreporter.com.
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