Oceanport Officials: 'Now is the Time to Start Preparing' for Irene

Oceanport's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) met with various response teams in the borough Thursday afternoon to solidify plans for Hurricane Irene, which is currently projected to strike the area Sunday morning as a category two storm with 6-12 inches of rainfall and winds of 96-110 mph.

Officials from , , EMS, CERT, OEM, Oceanport Schools, Monmouth Park and borough administration were all on hand to prepare for a state of emergency in the borough. They will base their Emergency Operations Center operations at the West Long Branch Police Department on Broadway, where , beginning 7 p.m. Saturday. Monmouth Park has been advised not to operate Sunday.

OEM Director Buzz Baldanza said as of Thursday evening the borough has not yet issued any mandatory evacuations, and is waiting for guidance from state officials on the matter.

"If we ask you to leave, you are obligated to leave by state law," said Baldanza, referring to State Office of Emergency Management Directive 79, which requires evacuation from a legally declared emergency area.

Mayor Michael Mahon, who along with Councilman Joseph Irace has been keeping residents informed on the Oceanport Residents group on Facebook and @MayorMahon on Twitter, issued an update after the meeting at 6 p.m. stating:

NOW IS THE TIME TO START PREPARING. Make sure food, water, medications, batteries are in good supply. Have a hard line old style phone available to get Code Red alerts. Secure outdoor furniture. Check on elderly family members. EVACUATIONS MAY BE CALLED FOR in low areas of the Borough. Please check links on the borough web site for additional information to prepare. The weather service is concerned that the storm surge from Irene could arrive in our area at the time of high tide on Sunday night -- a tide which is already expected to higher than normal due to the new moon.  Irene is expected to threaten our area with damaging winds, flooding rains and coastal surge, flooding and high waves Saturday night through Monday.

OEM is also suggesting residents make the following preparations:

1. Remove your boats from the water, strap them down to the trailer, and move them to high ground. The designated "Higher Ground" is parking along Port Au Peck Avenue where the Strawberry Fair and Circus set up. The areas near the heliport will be used for people parking boats. Vehicles that are towed from streets will also be located in the same area of the parking lot.
2. Top off the gas tanks in your vehicles and consider moving your vehicle to higher ground away from low areas such as Port-au-Peck, Gooseneck Point and Horseneck Point.
3. Make contingency plans for where you will go with family or friends to care for pets. Most shelters will not be able to care for them with people.
4. Consider withdrawing a sufficient amount of cash from the bank --  interruptions to power and telephone may render credit and debit cards useless until systems are restored.  This could take several days.
5. Securely tie down patio furniture, barbeques, and especially propane tanks. Store umbrellas in a garage or garden shed. Raise items of value in your garages and sheds.
6. If your property has flooded in the past, raise valuable items such as important paperwork, computers and appliances from the floor to a desktop. Check sump pumps and discharge hoses for proper operation.
7. Contact family members and develop a plan of notification -- perhaps you call one relative to let them know you are alright, and they in turn notify the rest of your family.

Baldanza said the nearest available shelter for Oceanport residents will be located at . County officials are working to establish a pet shelter nearby.

There will also be a shelter located at . The Monmouth County Parks System will operate a pet shelter at , located next door. Pets must be in cages and residents are advised to bring food.

Evacuation Routes

Residents are advised to follow the Coastal Flood Evacuation signs showing safe routes out of the flood areas of Oceanport. The signs have been posted on Comanche Dr., Port-au-Peck Ave., Branchport Ave., Monmouth Blvd., Myrtle Ave., East Main St., Oceanport Ave., Bridgewaters Dr., Riverside Ave., Hazen Dr., Main St., Shrewsbury Ave. and Eatontown Blvd.

It is suggested that residents travel west on Port-au-Peck Ave to Eatontown Blvd, or west on Main St. to access State Highways 35, 36, 71 and 18.

Stay Informed

Baldanza said a special email address is being set up which will allow residents to send direct non-emergency communications into the Emergency Operations Center. The e-mail address will be posted Friday and only remain active during Hurricane Irene.

A special test of the Community Alert Notification System will be performed Friday in advance of the storm. Residents will be alerted in advance by a call from the CODE RED system that a test is underway.

The Borough Emergency Radio System is also in operation and residents are advised to tune into 1610 AM on their home radio for emergency information and weather updates.

To track Hurricane Irene, residents can visit the following website: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201109.html

Mahon also suggested residents review NOAA's hurricane preparedness guide: http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/tropical_preparedness.php