The Jersey City Independent "

UPDATED AUGUST 25 AT 5:45 PM

Jersey City announced its plans late this afternoon. It may call for an evacuation, but doesn’t anticipate making that decision until mid-day Saturday.

As Hurricane Irene moves up the East Coast, the chances it will wreak havoc in Jersey City this weekend are looking increasingly real. The storm, currently a major category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph moving through the Northwest Bahamas, is presently forecast to reach our area as a Category 2 hurricane on Sunday or Monday.

The National Weather Service currently says there is between a 10 and 20 percent chance that storm surges from both the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers will be greater than two feet above normal tide levels during the weekend, and between a 5 and 10 percent chance that storm surges will be more than three feet. It also puts the chance of Tropical Storm force wind speed (equal to or exceeding 39 miles per hour) here between 30 and 50 percent. As the Weather Channel’s website said just a few hours ago, “the potential is real for the strongest hurricane hit on the Northeast in at least a couple decades this weekend.”

With the storm coming our way, local governments are urging residents to be prepared. Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency for all of New Jersey, and is warning residents to stay away from the shore over the weekend. Christie also pointed out that the shore will not be the only area affected.

“This is not just going to be a shore incident,” he said. “This is going to be a statewide incident.” Christie added that he isn’t currently making evacuations mandatory, but that he would consider doing so if people don’t heed the state’s warnings.

Last night, Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer said that city is reviewing its evacuation plans and is ready to put them into place if necessary. She also suggested that “residents with the ability to stay at another location outside of Hoboken [should] consider doing so,” so as to make a potential evacuation easier.

“If we are hit by a hurricane – even a Category 1 – the flooding can be very widespread and severe,” Zimmer said in a statement. “Even areas of Hoboken that don’t normally flood could be under many feet of water, so residents need to prepare now and be ready to move their vehicles to higher ground or out of town if necessary. We will continue to monitor the situation as the storm progresses, and if conditions warrant it, will call for an evacuation, but at this time we are asking residents with family or friends in the area or the ability to stay elsewhere to consider leaving town early for the weekend. This is a threat that residents must take seriously.”

Across the river, New York City officials have also begun preparing for the storm, by cleaning out catch basins to prevent flooding, positioning NYPD boats in low-lying areas, and by warning residents that they may have to be evacuated if the storm is at its worst.

“If the worst scenario is going to happen this weekend, we will activate other elements of our Coastal Storm Plan, including the possibility of evacuating of New Yorkers who live in low-lying areas that could be affected by such storm surges,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this morning.

As Jersey City residents know all too well, our city is also quite susceptible to flooding, particularly in the many low-lying areas.

“The Jersey City waterfront is just a few feet above normal high-tide level,” Liberty Science Center’s then-CEO Emlyn Koster told us last year, warning of “the brief but potentially catastrophic surges from hurricanes and nor’easters” that could become a reality in the next few days.

Officials from Jersey City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) have been tracking Hurricane Irene and will be releasing detailed information later today for residents, as well as any possible instructions should a need arise for evacuations. (We’ll update you when that happens.)

In advance of the storm, OEM suggests the following:

• Check your roofs, as well as gutters and drains, for any debris that could obstruct water flow and create possible flooding conditions in their homes.
• Have a preparedness kit ready with batteries, water, flashlights, and charged cell phones, as well as any immediate supplies they feel necessary.
• Senior citizens and residents who take medications daily should fill their prescriptions now in advance of the storm.
• All residents and property owners are asked to tie down or bring in any lawn furniture or outdoors equipment and residents with patios should bring any furniture, plants, bicycles, etc.

PSE&G is also warning customers of potential service interruptions due to the storm. To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call 1-800-436-PSEG. In addition, if outages are widespread, the utility will activate its power outage Twitter page to keep the public informed about when power will be restored.

For the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guide to hurricane preparedness, click here.

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