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Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Spring nor'easter dumps rain, snow on East Coast

Eyewitness NewsNEW JERSEY (WABC) -- The big cleanup is under way after a nasty nor'easter that dumped several inches of rain across the Tri-State area.

Schools in western Pennsylvania are closing in the face of the unusual late-April snow storm, which is chugging through the Northeast, threatening to bring high winds and up to a foot of snow in some places.

The slow-moving coastal storm delivered much much-needed rain to the parched region over the weekend, from Virginia to New England, but now the rain is turning into snow for some in Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

The nor'easter has dumped up to six inches of snow on New York's eastern Lake Ontario region, and the Buffalo area could get 5 to 9 inches.

Districts in Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains began announcing school closures Sunday night. As much as 7 inches of snow was expected in some areas.

Flood watches were in effect in the New York City area and in New Jersey, but they were canceled by early Monday.

Officials say the rain should go a long way toward alleviating drought conditions, which have helped spark several major brush fires in recent weeks.

In New Jersey, a large tarp covering construction at St. Peter's College in Jersey City came loose in the weather overnight.

Construction workers were called to take down the tarp, which was covering a construction project at the college.

Montgomery Street was closed between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenue as workers responded to take down the tarp.

Localized flooding continued on Jersey City roads, including at County Road and Manhattan Avenue.

Earlier, several drivers had to be rescued when cars got stuck in raising waters on Merseles Street, under the New Jersey Turnpike extension.

The cars were towed and no drivers were injured.

There are unofficial rain totals of little more than 2 and a half inches in Howell, 2 inches in Trenton and more than an inch and three-quarters in Mount Holly.

Utility crews are dealing with scattered power outages, with about 317 customers affected statewide.

A total of 2.87 inches of rain was recorded in Central Park, but no major flooding was reported in the area.

Parts of the Saw Mill River Parkway in Westchester County were closed because of flooding.

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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Coast Guard: Missing NJ boat case is possible hoax

By JOSH LEDERMANSANDY HOOK, N.J. -- The U.S. Coast Guard launched an investigation Tuesday into a possible hoax after a 10-hour search turned up no sign of four boaters who sent distress calls saying they were abandoning ship.

Boats, planes and helicopters were dispatched before sunrise in a rescue operation that joined together military, state and local agencies and cost the Coast Guard almost $88,000. The rescue was called off in the afternoon after a search of a 600-square-mile area failed to turn up a boat, debris or the sailors.

Authorities are searching for whoever made two false distress calls - a federal felony - and are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to arrest and prosecution.

The first call came in shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday on an emergency radio channel. Claiming to be aboard a 33-foot white sailboat named Courtney Lynn, the callers said their vessel was taking on water. Less than an hour later, those aboard radioed that the boat was 90 percent submerged, and that they were transferring to a small gray dinghy.

No further transmissions were received from the callers, who said they didn't have a hand-held radio or flares to communicate with rescuers from the dinghy. The Coast Guard did not have information about boat registration or owners.

A Coast Guard boat searched for five hours, while local police agencies searched from land. A Coast Guard airplane was dispatched from Massachusetts and flew three rescue flights over the search area, while both the Coast Guard and New Jersey State Police searched by helicopter.

"The weather conditions were ideal for finding a 33-foot vessel, even if it were sinking," said Chief Warrant Officer Troy Loining, who commands the Coast Guard's Sandy Hook Station.

The initial distress call placed the boat to the east of a naval station and a few miles from Sandy Hook Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean between New York City and northeastern New Jersey.

The crew later corrected their position to say they were west of the naval station. Coast Guard direction-finding equipment was used to determine the signal likely came from a few miles away near Highlands, N.J., south of Sandy Hook.

With all search options exhausted and no evidence of anyone in distress, the rescue was suspended around 1:40 p.m. and an investigation launched. Making false distress calls is a felony that can result in up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines, according to the Coast Guard.

"False distress calls waste taxpayer dollars, put Coast Guard and other first responders at unnecessary risk and can interfere with the Coast Guard's ability to respond to those in actual distress at sea," said Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe.

Officials urged anyone with information to contact the Coast Guard anonymously at 646-872-5774.

Sandy Hook Station has responded to calls in the past that have turned out to be hoaxes, Loining said, but other distress calls have turned into legitimate rescues. In May 2010, the Coast Guard rescued two people by helicopter from a capsizing boat near Sandy Hook.

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