Community Corner

UPDATE: 130,000 Without Power In Monmouth

Irene smacks Monmouth County; 3,700 without power in Wall Township

The tornado watch and travel restrictions througout Wall Township were lifted Sunday as Hurricane Irene's destruction is felt throughout the Jersey Shore.

Damaging winds and heavy rains led power failures for thousands of customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Jersey Central Power & Light is reporting that at 2:30 p.m. there were more than 130,000 homes in Monmouth County without power; 3,700 in Wall Township.

The Wall Township Police, who earlier had issued a no-travel order, lifted the ban on non-emergency vehicles at 2 p.m. and told residents under mandatory evacuations they could return to their homes.

Find out what's happening in Wallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As bands of Hurricane Irene moved through the area overnight, some pockets of thunderstorms were believed to be powerful enough to create tornados.

A Tornado Watch and later several localized Tornado Warnings were enacted Saturday night and expired at 5 a.m. Sunday after authorities confirmed a tornado in the coastal community of Lewes, DE. The twister apparently tore through a neighborhood and is being blamed for the total destruction of at least one home.

Find out what's happening in Wallwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Area residents are blaming a tornado for the e, though officials have yet to confirm that possibility.

Residents can expect continued damaging winds and heavy rains today. Though the storm has weakened, a Hurricane Warning issued by the National Weather Service indicates that the storm is still packing 80 mile per hour winds.

In total, 6 to 10 inches of rain is expected with isolated rainfall totals of more than 14 inches possible.

Flood watches are still in effect as the combination of a heavy storm surge, rainfall totals and a new moon high tide is expected to choke area waterways.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here