Brick Officials Close Beaches, Urge Residents To Prepare For Hermine

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township officials are urging residents to prepare for the potential impact of Hermine, as the storm continues to move north along the Atlantic coast.

Mayor John Ducey, in a tweet Saturday morning, said the township's beaches are closed.

"Please stay out of the ocean. Prepare for flooding at all high tides ocean and back bays," Ducey said in the tweet.

New Jersey is under a tropical storm warning, with forecasters saying there is a potential Hermine will strengthen to hurricane status again by the time it reaches New Jersey Sunday.

The National Weather Service says the storm could bring a storm surge comparable to what was experienced during Superstorm Sandy, which brought surge of 8.8 feet.

The Ocean County Sheriff's office says there are no evacuation orders in place as of 11 a.m. Saturday.

Ducey said township officials have been preparing for the storm, moving equipment to shore up the beaches and monitoring developments.

The township police department is urging residents to make preparations, including securing loose items or moving them inside as winds are expected to be at least 60 mph.

"Residents in coastal and flood prone areas are urged to move their vehicles to higher ground for the weekend," the department said on Facebook. "Brick Township residents can move your vehicles to your closest township school. If you do move your vehicle to the school please remove it before Tuesday morning because that is the first day of school."

Brick beach photo, via Mayor John Ducey's official Twitter account