After Parade, Take Shelter: Code Blue For Gloucester Township

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Anyone attending the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl parade on Thursday should take shelter as soon as it's over. With the temperature expected to drop to a low of 22 degrees, a Code Blue Alert is in effect for Camden County Thursday night.

The Health Officer issued the Code Blue advisory for Camden County effective from 7 p.m. on Feb. 8 until 7 a.m. Feb. 9.

“The cold weather will continue tonight with temperatures dipping into the teens. During these extreme conditions, we need everyone to be sheltered and protected from the elements,” Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, said. “If you must leave the house, please dress yourself and your children in warm clothing, hats and gloves. Also, please remember to check on elderly relatives and neighbors, and bring your pets indoors.”

When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

“During these extreme weather conditions, we encourage everyone to check on elderly or handicapped relatives and neighbors that live alone,” Rodriguez said. “It is important that the most vulnerable among us are not left without heat or electricity.”

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans. Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather.

In Gloucester Township, there are two warming centers:

Hider Lane Sr. Center
1571 Hider Ln.Gloucester Twp., NJTel: 856-228-9015Open: 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Gloucester Twp. Boro Hall
1261 Chews Landing Rd.Gloucester Twp., NJTel: 856-228-4000Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.

For anyone taking advantage of the free beer being handed out during the parade, remember that alcohol tends to make those drinking it not realize how cold they actually are.

"When you drink, it dilates the peripheral blood vessels near your skin, which means more blood – and heat – flows to these vessels," according to Professor Colin Drummond, head of the Section of Alcohol Research at King's College London. "That takes blood and heat away from the core of your body. So while it feels like you're warm because your skin is warm, your vital organs aren't as warm as you might think they are.

"If you then go out in the cold after drinking, because you've got a lot of heat on the periphery of your body, you can lose heat very easily and quickly. And that can be dangerous."

In case of a power outage please report it directly to the appropriate utility provider list below:

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
• Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

Patch file photo