Brick officials have said there is no truth to a rumor circulating around town that the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority will cut off the township's water supply.

The township categorically stated that the rumor is untrue Wednesday afternoon.

Officials have also announced that Brick schools will now be closed through Friday.

Police are still asking residents to stay off township roads, but despite that request, many major thoroughfares were crawling at a snail's pace Wednesday.

Route 70 was a virtual parking lot between the intersection with Route 88 and past Herbertsville Road. Areas of Brick Boulevard were also slow, as motorists dealt with occasional traffic lights that were out.

Another area of concern was Route 70 west of the Costco store in Brick, where there were significant delays as a line of cars waiting to purchase fuel at the store backed up to the Home Depot store in Lakewood.

"The ban on non-essential driving in Brick Township is still effective," the township said in a statement Wednesday. No citizens should be on the roads except for essential and emergency response personnel until further notice."

Officials said the volume of people on the roads Wednesday was hampering search and rescue efforts.