Camden County Prepares For Pending Nor'easter

Camden County is preparing for an approaching nor’easter threatens to deliver up to 3 inches of snow across the region. Additionally, a Code Blue Weather Advisory is in effect for the county each night this week.

“The Camden County Department of Public Works is diligently monitoring the storm’s track and development so that we will be prepared for the storm system. At this point, forecasts are still uncertain to exact start times or snow totals, so we have to be prepared for whatever weather conditions we experience,” Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works said. “Anyone on the roadways during the storm should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions, and we ask that motorists leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work.”

Snow is expected to fall on the region between midnight and the middle of the afternoon on Thursday. While the latest forecast calls for 1-3 inches of snow, there is the potential for a more significant snowfall based on the storm’s track. Higher accumulations are expected as snow falls further east in the county. Regardless of how much falls, blowing and drifting snow will be a concern Thursday night into Friday.

Camden County has 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.

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 their power. Any storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines, so 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.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

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.

Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality. 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.

As always, 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 the Department of Public Works.

Patch file photo