Lake Weamaconk Drained in Preparation of Hurricane

Lt. Peter S. Cooke Jr., the coordinator of the Borough of Englishtown's Office of Emergency Management, said that the flood gates on Lake Weamaconk have been opened. By opening the dam, the water from the lake has been able to flow out and now the lake is two and half feet below the spillway. 

"That's a lot of water," Cooke said. Accumulated rain from the storm will have to exceed two and a half feet for the lake to overflow and head into the connecting streams. Homes located near the streams are situated in a flood prone area, but the draining of the lake was done to mitigate any possible flooding, Cooke said. 

The Englishtown Police Department will have extra manpower on call this weekend, and the volunteer fire department will be on standby beginning Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Cooke said.

The Department of Public Works will be coming into the borough on Sunday to assist with the clearing of fallen trees and clogged drains, according to Cooke. 

Cooke asserts that Englishtown residents should only dial 9-1-1 if there is a potential hazard to someone's life. "A loss of power or fallen tree is not a life hazard," Cooke said, who does not want the emergency line to be tied up during the storm with non-emergency related calls. 

Non-emergency police issues should be phoned in to the police department at (732)-446-7000.

Cooke advises that residents visit www.ready.nj.gov for more info on Hurricane Irene.