Residents Head to High School to Escape 'Warzone'

While the aftermath of the Hurricane Sandy left Hopatcong completely without power early Tuesday morning and hazardous conditions outside, dozens of residents were able to find some warmth and comfort at Hopatcong High School all day Tuesday.

Some packed bags to stay the night at the shelter, and others just stopped by for a quick meal or to charge their phone throughout the day.

All residents who came the day after the devasting storm were impacted in some way; some had trees fall on their homes, others just wanted to escape the cold.

For 18-year-old Kacey Tiersch, she was most concerned about how her mother, Marygrace, was doing at the St. Clare's Hospital in Denville.

Kacey Tiersch, who stopped by the shelter Tuesday night for some food and warmth with several friends after spending all day visiting her mom in the hospital, had a tree crash on the yard of her Charles Place home Monday night.

Kacey Tiersch said that her mom and brother, Ryan, stepped outside for a few minutes around 8 p.m. on Monday to walk their dog and to put a tarp around their cellar. She said while they were outside, a tree from their neighbor's yard crashed down on top of her brother and mother, and trapped her mother.

Kacey Tiersch, who was outside but went back in moments before the tree fell, recalls the second she heard the tree impact.

"I hear the biggest wind gust I've heard all night, and all of the sudden everything is silent and then I hear my brother screaming out for help," she said.

Kacey Tiersch said neighbors were able to pull Marygrace Tiersch from under the tree, and emergency personnel arrived shortly after and took her and Ryan Tiersch to the hospital. Kacey said her brother sustained no injuries, but her mom suffered a laceration at the top of her head.

Kacey Tiersch said that the doctors said her mother's condition is improving, and she will be in the hospital for another 1-2 weeks.

Other residents who attended the shelter on Tuesday might not have had a tree fall on their property, but instead were afraid of the possibility of it still happening.

Prasad Taranekak is one of those residents. Living on Eugene Road, Taranekak said his neighbor had a tree fall on their home, but not on his. He said the storm uprooted several trees that are now leaning toward his home.

He said he couldn't sleep all night on Monday, and came to the shelter on Tuesday to stay the night.

"It's horrible," he said. "Just the fear about what's going to happen; if the tree's going to fall, [and] if it falls what am I going to do."

Siblings Dan and Gina Meusel, 17 and 19, respectively, escaped their dark home to go to the high school for food while their parents remained home. They said a tree crashed on their shed and broke their fence at about 12:15 a.m. early Tuesday morning.

Dan Meusel, who said it looked like a "warzone" outside when he first saw the tree crash, said he and his sister woke up from the loud crash and jumped right out of bed.

"We just ran outside, had scarves tied around our mouths and were inspecting all of the damage," he said. "We were just like 'wow, there's still more coming and it's still windy, and it's one of the worst parts of the night."

John and Marlene Maine over on Flora Avenue have lived in the borough for 40 years and said they've never seen anything like this before.

The Maines, who lost power and didn't experience and fallen trees on their property, stopped by the shelter throughout the day for food and to shower.

The shelter, which opened at 11 p.m. Monday night in the wake of the storm by Hopatcong's CERT Team, provides a place for residents to sleep, shower, eat, or just hang out and charge their electronics. The shelter is open all day, and will remain available until power is restored.

OEM coordinator and Officer Robert Haffner said about 50 residents stayed Monday night, many of which left the next morning. He said more residents came in and out all day on Tuesday, and at about 7 p.m., there were 40 residents back planning to stay the night again.

The Red Cross delivered three meals, over 60 cots, and numerous blankets and packs of toiletries. Haffner said they're expecting to get another delivery from the Red Cross on Wednesday that will provide enough food to last another week. The county also delivered a trailer full of items Tuesday afternoon that hasn't been opened yet.