In the Aftermath of Irene, Business as Usual (Almost)

One day after one of the worst hurricanes in New Jersey’s history, most of the stores and eateries in Scotch Plains and Fanwood’s downtowns were open. The streets were mostly clear of branches and debris and sidewalk traffic was about average for a weekday afternoon. When electricity was restored to many of the buildings along Park Avenue on Monday morning, most business owners said they were able to reopen without complication.

Many of the businesses say their preparations for the rough weather – along with some degree of luck – helped them weather the storm with minimal complications. Long-time business owners who had witnessed flooding through the center of town in the past knew what to expect, and how to prevent water damage.

The owners of  had a backup generator running to ensure that the store wouldn’t lose power and that the meat wouldn’t spoil. Owner Vincent Losavio said when he came in Sunday morning and his lights turned on (despite outages all along the block) he thought, “Somebody up there likes me.” Losavio said his store had weathered storms in the past, and pointed to a picture of a flooded Park Avenue from 1973 that hangs near the back door. This weekend he took ample precautions to make sure the power stayed on and the water stayed out, such as by stacking sandbags along the front and rear entrances.

Next door at the , there were no soggy comic books; owner Steve Olsen said Hurricane Floyd in 1999 prepared him well for the flooding along Park Avenue. He also took the measure of stacking sandbags at the doors and made sure to keep everything off the floor. 

For some business owners, the biggest hardship was simply traveling to their storefronts from their homes. Angelo Zanfardino, hard at work behind the counter of Monday afternoon, said he was not able to get to Scotch Plains until late Sunday afternoon to check on the business. Flooded roads and fallen trees convinced many local business owners to stay home and wait until Monday morning to make sure everything was all right.

Almost the entire block was affected by the power outage Sunday, and many business owners said they were relieved to find the electricity had been restored Monday morning. They praised local authorities and utility workers for the speedy return of electricity and for rapidly clearing the streets of debris and fallen branches. Along Park Avenue, there was sentiment that the storm could have been much worse, and plenty of gratitude that it was not.