County to Keep Cooling Centers Open in Haddonfield and Haddon Township

Cooling centers opened by the Camden County Office of Emergency Management earlier this week to help residents who suffered power outages following Tuesday night’s storm will remain open, county officials said Friday afternoon.

Residents will find water, air conditioning and a place to charge cell phones and medical devices at these centers.

The ability to charge cell phones is crucial to some residents when it comes to communicating with first responders, family and friends, as they are often used as a primary tool for communication.

“Our OEM and Health Department are continuing to execute a long term plan to assist residents in the worst hit areas of the county. It is imperative to keep offering and expanding services while we wait for utility companies to restore power,” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez said. “These centers are going to provide the opportunity to cool off, get water and most importantly charge cell phones and necessary medical devices.”

Additionally, all county library locations are being used for individuals still waiting for their power to come back online.

Full restoration is expected no later than midnight Sunday into Monday.

Cooling centers are open in Haddonfield and Haddon Township at the following locations:

Camden County Library, McArthur Boulevard, Haddon Township

9 am – 5 pm

856-845-2752

Mabel Kay House, 24 Walnut Street, Haddonfield Borough (next to Acme lot)

9 am – 5 pm

856-354-8789

Father & Son Hall, Ormond Avenue, Haddon Township

9 am – 5 pm

856-547-2539

County officials advised residents to ”make pertinent decisions on food in their fridge and assess water safety for long term outages.”

The Camden County Health Department has provided tips and best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be safe when assessing food and water for consumption.

Keep Food Fresh:

· If your power is out, keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep in the cool air.

· Put a block of ice in your refrigerator. It will keep food cool longer. Wear heavy gloves when handling the ice.

· Even if it’s partially thawed, you can still cook or refreeze frozen food as long as you can see ice crystals or if it’s still 40°F (degrees Fahrenheit) or lower.

Throw Out Spoiled Food:

· Is in a can that’s open, damaged, or bulging.

· Has a strange smell, color, or texture.

· Needs to be refrigerated but has been warmer than 40°F (degrees Fahrenheit) for 2 hours or longer. Foods that need to be kept cold include meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and leftovers.

Water Safety

Ask local officials or listen to the news to find out whether you can drink tap water or use it for washing. If it’s not safe, use bottled water if you can. If you don’t have bottled water, there are some things you can do to kill germs in dirty water and make it safe to drink. For example:

· Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute.

· Use household bleach. Add 1/8 teaspoon of new, unscented liquid bleach to one gallon of water. Stir well. Let the water sit for 30 minutes before you drink it.

· Use water-purifying tablets. Adding these to water make it safe to drink. Follow the product’s directions.

Feeding Your Baby

If you have a baby, protect her from germs in unsafe water. You can:

· Keep breastfeeding if that’s what you normally do.

· Use canned or premixed liquid formula.

· Use bottled water to make formula from a powder or concentrate.

Anyone who doesn’t have bottled water should use boiled water to make formula, making sure the water has cooled before mixing it with formula and giving it to a baby.

Only use treated (disinfected or purified) water to make formula in the absence of bottled or boiled water.

“To ensure the public’s health, please assess the food you still have in your house if it is contained in the freezer or refrigerator,” Rodriguez said. “If the temperature of either appliance has dropped below 40 degrees food must be discarded. If there is a question about how long the food was exposed to above 40 degree temperatures discard the perishable.”

Camden County is still feeling the effects of the storm damage with the continued closing of the Office of Veteran Affairs building due to an ongoing power outage. The office is operating out of the Lakeland complex and can be reached at 856-374-6145. Also, Berlin Park remains closed and should be reopening in the next week.