Man makes sure consumers get orders on time, despite floods in Fairfield

Sargis Yan, an e-commerce development manager at Electronics Expo, decided to go out on the road to try and drop off deliveries to FedEx after they weren’t able to pick them up due to the impact of the storm.

Joti Rekhi

Dec 20, 2023, 10:30 AM

Updated 297 days ago

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Several roads remain closed in Fairfield due to flooding. One of them includes Stewart Place, where many cars have been left stranded as water continues to fill the roadway.
Sargis Yan left his SUV on the road after attempting to drive across it before it was blocked off Wednesday evening.
“When I made the turn, I didn’t expect the water to be that high,” said Yan. “I was expecting that my SUV would go through because many SUVs made it through. But mine couldn’t make it through. I got stuck.”
Yan, an e-commerce development manager at Electronics Expo, decided to go out on the road to try and drop off deliveries to FedEx after they weren’t able to pick them up due to the impact of the storm. The consumer electronics retailer had about 300-400 expedited purchases that needed to go out for shipment.
“Just thinking of all those customers who were waiting for their merchandise or gifts for Christmas, some were next-day delivery, some were two-day deliveries. We couldn’t afford to have these kinds of dissatisfied customers. I wanted to make it happen at any cost,” said Yan.
He said Stewart Place wasn’t flooded when he came in to work in the morning. But soon after he turned out of the parking lot in the evening, he felt himself floating in his SUV and called 911 for a rescue. He was able to get out but the packages were left in his car.
In the morning, he and his colleague George Hallack decided to use a boat to get to his car and the packages that remained inside.
“I was worried about two things. First, the electricity current in the water, but I didn’t tell him because he was in the boat and I didn’t want him to panic. Plus the boat is metal,” said Hallack. “And the other thing that worried me was an open manhole somewhere because I can’t see it.”
One by one, the two employees removed each of the packages and got to safety.
“George did a pretty good job. He balanced the boat so that the merchandise didn’t get into the water. I didn’t get into water,” said Yan.
Several roads remain closed in that section of Fairfield due to floodwaters. Route 46 East at the Fairfield/Wayne border remains as well. Route 80 East at exit 47B is also still closed.
There are some school delays and closures in the area as well. West Essex High School and Middle School are on a two-hour delay on Thursday. Churchill School and Stevenson School are both closed on Thursday.
Essex Regional Educational Services Commission's two locations at 369 Passaic Ave. (Essex Campus Academy, Essex High School and Essex Junior Academy) as well as 333 Fairfield Road, will also be closed on Thursday.
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