Trentonians Vacate the 'Island'

TRENTON-- Area residents were told to evacuate the city's 'Island' Sunday morning in response to heavy rain and flooding caused by Hurricane Irene. Citizens that lived on the Island were transported by the police department to nearby shelters, while their cars were towed to a central location for safe keeping. 

Anwar's Reflections -- a Trentonian affiliate-- was on hand to capture the aftermath of the storm. Trenton's mayor, Tony Mack, held a press conference Sunday afternoon at a West Ward firehouse. He and other city officials were on site to give concerned citizens updates on what they were doing to address the aftermath of the storm.

At the press conference, Trenton Police Director Joseph Juniak, said that this was a major flood incident for the city of Trenton and that he did not expect the Assupink River to overflow 6 or 7 feet over its normal flood zone. He went on to say that the storm caused a lot of problems in the South Trenton area and Nottingham Way area. He implored citizens to bear with he and other city officials as this is a long term process and commitment.

Fire Department Director Qareeb Bashir said he and the emergency department have added additional personnel on the street and have deployed four different squads to cover the city's four wards. He went on to say that, "We have major flooding in the Ferry Street section of South Trenton and major flooding around the Mulberry Street area.  People are actually being rescued, but we're on top of it".

Mayor Mack told onlookers that he and his staff were doing everything in their power to make sure everyone has access to information regarding the flooding incident. City Council President Kathy McBride said that city residents could call a central phone number to report any concerns they experienced.

Residents that live on the Island were also on hand to talk about their experience. One person, Beth, said that she had experienced floods before in Trenton but that this storm was not that bad. She went on to say that she was not going to leave her home. Someone else said that she had set up a tent outside her home Saturday night and that it was left intact. Another city man said that he would only leave his 'Island' home if he saw water coming toward his street.

Each individual I spoke to said that the police department did a good job when it came to letting people know they need to evacuate the area.

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