The flood risk is not as acute in Middlesex County as it is in other areas of the state, but towns are preparing for heavy snow and wind. Watch video
OLD BRIDGE -- Towns around Middlesex County are preparing for a winter storm that drop a half a foot of snow on the area this weekend.
Forecasts are calling from anywhere between 6 to 12 inches of snow starting on Friday and stretching into Saturday, the first big system to move into the area in what was otherwise a historically mild winter.
The major flooding risks in other areas of the state aren't quite as acute here in Central Jersey, but towns were busily preparing Wednesday for the powerful nor'easter.
"We're concerned with the higher than normal tides, especially the winds," said Tom Gerrity, the director of emergency management in Old Bridge. "The trouble areas are in Laurence Harbor and Cliffwood Beach, both located along Raritan Bay. We're very concerned about flooding along areas of Route 35, near the Morgan Bridge and in other locations. It depends on how high the tide gets."
Many of the homes in Laurence Harbor that were abandoned in Hurricane Sandy are still abandoned, Gerrity said.
On the other hand, Sayreville, another community that was battered in Hurricane Sandy, is not expecting major flood concerns.
"We're anticipating a great deal of snow and a great deal of wind," said Mayor Kennedy O'Brien. "Sayreville has 8,000 senior citizens. They're our first concern."
The Blue Acres buyout program has also helped alleviate flooding concerns generally, O'Brien said. About 130 to 150 houses, in the Weber Avenue and Williams Street areas in particular, have been sold to the state at their pre-Sandy value.
"What they received was a godsend," O'Brien said.
Arthur Londensky, the head of emergency management in South River, said the borough took to heart the lessons it learned in Sandy and has done a lot to upgrade pumps, electrical equipment and provide generators to those municipal departments that need them in case of emergencies. He said all pumping stations have been elevated as well.
"We've had a lot of meetings, all of the department heads, and we're ready," Londensky said. "We're concerned about flooding, but, we believe we're prepared. We've gone through this before."
In South Brunswick, town officials are monitoring the storm and the effect it could have on the town's 192 miles of roads. The town will be posting updates on Nixle and on Twitter.
"We encourage all residents to take a minute to make sure they are prepared if power should be lost or travel is limited for a day," Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said in an email.
South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry said it's business as usual in the city.
"Our people are prepared as we normally are with storms," Henry said. "If anything major really happens, we're pretty prepared to that too."
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.