Gloucester Township Bracing For Weekend Storm

Camden County has begun preparations for an approaching storm that may bring snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region Saturday morning.

“Even though we are still hours away from seeing the first snowflake, our crews have our equipment prepped and trucks are loaded with product to address any and all situations that may arise,” Camden County Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works said. “Our public works employees will be on the job to keep roadways passable, but we need everyone to remain extra cautious behind the wheel.”

The storm is expected to start with an occasional light snow late Friday night into early Saturday. It is not until between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. when the snowfall will become steady, but that will be short lived as it will rapidly transition to sleet and then freezing rain.

The challenges with this weather event are the amount and duration of pavement icing due to an already cold ground and low air temperatures, officials said.

The rain will slow to a drizzle by the afternoon, but with temperatures remaining in the 30s by sunset, officials expect many areas of patchy ice to contend with and an overnight refreeze.

“Anyone on the roadways during these times should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions,” Sin Angulo said. “Remember to leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work.”

The county had more than 100 pieces of equipment ready to keep county roadways passable and drivers moving.

If the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,400 lane miles of roadways across Camden County.

The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

The county has also issued a Code Blue Advisory that will be in effect on Friday and Sunday nights.

The Health Officer issued the Code Blue advisory for Camden County effective from 6 p.m. on Dec. 16 until 6 a.m. on Dec. 17, and again from 6 p.m. on Dec. 18 until 6 a.m. on Dec. 19.

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

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, warming centers are located at the Hider Lane Senior Center (1571 Hider Lane, 856-228-9015) and the boro hall (1261 Chews Landing Road, 856-228-4000).

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.

In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, residents are reminded to immediately call their utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power.

This storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines. Residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

• 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.atlanticcityelectri...
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

As always, please use 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road is asked to call the county's 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to DPW.