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In Middlesex and Monmouth counties, a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet was expected this morning,...

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In Middlesex and Monmouth counties, a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet was expected this morning, according to the weather service. That will result in near record severe tidal flooding, according to the weather service.

The Raritan runneth over. Hurricane Irene itself may not have lived up to its billing, but the aftermath could leave New Jersey far worse for the wear. The Raritan River literally runs through a wide swath of Central New Jersey. Rutgers University is located in the very epicenter of the Raritan Valley, as could be expected with all of the talk in the alma mater of floods and such. The banks of the Raritan are cresting, with Somerset County communities such as Manville and Bound Brook expected to see the worst of it. As of yesterday New Brunswick remained inaccessible via road, with sections of Rt. 18 inaccessible. Classes are still scheduled to start on Thursday for now. At the very minimum, Thursday's Rutgers football opener is going to be quite the logistical challenge. Major roads are closed. Fans right in the stadium's backyard remain displaced or trapped in their homes. Police and emergency personnel may still be needed elsewhere. The Rutgers athletic department is a difficult bind, and would probably prefer to hold off on further action for now, but speculating about pushing the game back a few days is not completely outlandish. As Gov. Christie acknowledged over the weekend, Rutgers University has up to this point gone above and beyond the call of duty in housing displaced evacuees. When HPS Stadium finally opens in a few days, it would also behoove the athletic department to take additional measures to help ease the suffering in New Jersey. Something along the lines of a canned food drive, or collecting donations for local relief agencies.