The current rainfall combined with the melting snow and frozen ground has caused flooding to the Lower Bloomfield Parking Lot in the center of town, as well as the Gardner Field Parking lot by the playground.

If your vehicle is parked in the Lower Bloomfield Parking Lot, you are strongly encouraged to move it to higher ground ASAP to prevent it from being damaged by the rising water.

If you will be picking up any students at Riverview School for today’s dismissal, pick-up will be at the main entrance to the school on St. Mary’s Place. You will not be able to use the parking lot/driveway that accesses the rear of the school by the basketball courts due to the flooding.

The latest weather forecast calls for a winter storm beginning this afternoon that will bring a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. In all, 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected along with ice accumulations of between 1/10 and 2/10 of an inch. These conditions will make any travel very hazardous.

As a result, Governor Murphy has declared a state of emergency, which includes a travel ban for tractor trailers, car pulled trailers, recreational vehicles and motorcycles on all roads north of Interstate 95, with the exception of the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Driving conditions have the potential to be extremely hazardous during and immediately after the storm. We recommend that residents remain at home and stay off the roadways until they can be properly cleared of ice and snow.

The anticipated accumulations of ice are also expected to result in downed trees, branches and utility wires. Please stay away from any downed wires, they should be assumed to be live electrical wires. You can report downed utility wires to the Police Department at 973-627-4900 x 9.

If you should lose electrical power that results in no heat to your home, the Township has warming centers set up at Town Hall, the Denville Library and the Denville Senior Center during normal business hours Monday through Friday. In the event of an after-hours or weekend emergency, please contact the Police Department at 973-627-4900 x 9, as Town Hall can be opened to serve as a warming station. Residents can also call 2-1-1 for information on available warming stations in the area.

We would also like to remind all residents that there is no parking on any street in the Township while it is snow covered. This is to ensure that DPW has the ability to quickly and safely clear all of our streets. As a result, no overnight parking permission will be granted this evening. In addition, all snow and ice must be removed from any public sidewalks on your property within 12 hours of daylight after the storms end to ensure the sidewalks are safe to use by all residents.

Once again, please stay off the roads later this afternoon, this evening, and tomorrow morning, and stay clear of any downed utility wires.

Thank you for your cooperation this weekend and stay safe!