Hurricane Irma: How Long Valley Residents Can Prepare

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Washington Township officials are sharing how you can prepare for Hurricane Irma which, by some forecasts, will hit New Jersey next week.

"All municipal departments are prepared to respond to any severe weather conditions that we may experience locally, which would include the opening of one or more community shelters if the need arises," Bruce Clark, deputy coordinator for the Office of Emergency Management told Patch. He said the town is not currently anticipating "extraordinary weather."

Some forecasts have Hurricane Irma hitting New Jersey sometime Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Depending on the trajectory of the storm, the impact could vary greatly. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

• Read More: New Jersey Should Prepare For Hurricane Irma, State Climatologist Says

Despite the uncertainty, Clark says Long Valley residents should prepare for a hurricane.

He told Patch every house hold should have several days of water available, and easy-to-prepare meals that don't require electricity on hand.

Should the storm become more likely to hit New Jersey, Long Valley residents will hear from the town how to stay safe.

"Municipal leadership will alert the community quickly if the expectations around Irma’s low local impact changes," Clark said.

Image: A satellite image of Hurricane Matthew, via NASA Goddard Space, Flickr.