Crime & Safety

Storm Rolls Through Brick: Hospital Loses Power, PD Gets 70 Calls

Police directing traffic at several major intersections

A storm system that began rolling through Brick just after 7 p.m. Friday night flooded roads and knocked out electricity to homes, businesses and traffic lights.

Ocean Medical Center was also affected by the storm. The hospital, located on Jack Martin Boulevard, lost power and experienced generator problems according to Brick Police Capt. John Rein. Hospital officials asked for assistance with restoring power, but there was no need for evacuations, according to hospital officials.

Reports that lightning struck the hospital were unfounded, hospital spokespeople said, and backup generators kept everything except for the facility's air conditioning systems working. Portable air conditioners were brought in to help keep several floors cooled.

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Rein said the police department fielded about 70 calls and 40 fire calls in about a three hour period, and officials responded to two working fires - one on Eisenhower Drive and one on Forge Pond Road. Both were quickly extinguished.

Brick also provided mutual aid to emergency responders in Howell, Rein said.

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"The hardest hit area appears to be the Forge Pond area along Rt 88 / Rt 70 which is adjacent to Ocean Medical Center," Rein said in an e-mail.

Several cars died on Chambers Bridge Road after trying to push through nearly 3-foot-deep flood waters. Police quickly blocked off the road before the water receded and several motorists hopped out of their cars to help push the stranded vehicles off the roadway.

Traffic began moving more freely on Chambers Bridge, but many busy intersections were without traffic lights. Police were directing traffic at the intersections of Route 70 and Brick Boulevard and Chambers Bridge. Lights were flashing amber at most other Route 70 intersections and traffic was backing up at cross streets. The traffic lights at the intersection of Route 70 and Herbertsville Road was operating normally, however.

At 10 p.m., traffic was still being diverted on Chambers Bridge in some areas, and many jug handles were closed off. A sign at the township's Primary Learning Center was down, according to a witness.

Stay with Brick Patch for more information as it comes in.


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