By Anne Levin
Considering the roof collapse at a BJ’s store in Ocean County and flash flooding inundating Camden’s streets —to name just a few weather-related catastrophes plaguing New Jersey in recent days — Princeton emerged relatively unscathed by the extreme heat and heavy downpours that dominated the July 4 weekend.
“We had no significant blasts like some of the towns north of us,” said Princeton Police Captain Thomas Lagomarsino. “Quaker Road was closed for a while due to a tree that fell, but it reopened quickly. We’ve been very lucky. I won’t hold my breath, but hopefully nothing comes our way the rest of the week. The ground is pretty saturated.”
The three-digit temperatures didn’t keep crowds away from Morven Museum and Garden, where a July 4 afternoon celebration was planned. Most activities were simply moved inside the air-conditioned main house and Stockton Education Center.
“It was actually great,” said Executive Director Rhonda DiMascio. “It was festive, let me tell you. We don’t have an exact count, but I think we had close to 2,000 people. In the museum alone, we had close to 500 people on 30-minute shifts. And we sold out of ice cream in an hour and a half. That was a first.”
While most of the community partners taking part in the event were moved inside, some activities continued on the front porch of the house. Poet David Mills read Frederick Douglass’ famed speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” and a band entertained.
“We did a flag-raising at 12:15. We had a lot of tents. People sat under the trees and under the awning at the pool house,” DiMascio said. “We borrowed a mister from Sustainable Princeton. We had big jugs of water everywhere. People were making it work. They did what they had to do. It was packed, and we didn’t have to call 911.”
Just a few miles south in Trenton, the America 250 Parade and Festival planned for July 4 was postponed due to concerns about exposure to the 100-plus degree weather. A new date is still being determined. But the scheduled reopening of The Old Barracks, following a year-long restoration, went on as scheduled (see story on page 5).
“We were overwhelmed at the support we got,” said Executive Director Michelle Doherty. “When we went out to open the gates, the sidewalk was full and people were waiting out into the street. They wanted to be a part of this, and it was wonderful. I think maybe because so many other things were canceled, and our building is air-conditioned, we had more than 250 people show up.”
Trees and wires that fell in Lambertville on Friday evening resulted in multiple road closures. Philadelphia’s Salute to Independence parade planned for Friday was canceled. Fireworks scheduled in Bordentown on July 4 were postponed until August 4, and Music in the Park event scheduled for Lawrence Township on Thursday was canceled due to the heat.
NJ Transit’s rail system sustained significant damage to infrastructure across multiple rail lines, with more than 50 trees toppled on tracks and overhead wires. By Tuesday afternoon, much of the service had been restored. The Northeast Corridor line between Trenton and New York City was not as adversely affected as lines in the northern part of
the state.
“The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) continues to be activated and assisting communities across the state with severe weather conditions, including those impacted by today’s substantial flooding,” said Gov. Mikie Sherrill in a statement issued on Tuesday. “During the last few days, I have been in direct contact with mayors, as well as our utility companies, transit officials, and our emergency responders to ensure a closely coordinated response. I’m grateful to all of our public servants who have been working around the clock to keep people safe. Our communities have been hit hard, and we will continue to help them recover.”
Allison McLeod, interim executive director of New Jersey LCV (League of Conservation Voters), warned in a statement about the flooding and the need to prepare for increasingly frequent extreme weather events. “We can’t keep treating these disasters as isolated events,” she said. “It’s time to invest in modern stormwater infrastructure, strengthen protections for our most vulnerable communities, and continue moving toward a cleaner, more resilient energy future. New Jersey must be prepared for the challenges we’re facing today — and the ones we know are coming tomorrow.”