Camden County officials are monitoring the developments of a forthcoming nor’easter that has all of the important elements threatening to deliver a significant amount of snow to the region starting on Friday night.
Preparations are already underway to respond to the inclement conditions that could be created by the approaching storm.
“The storm track is showing a big storm, but that could change. In the interim and in anticipation of the worst the department is working to fine tune its operation and get ready for a storm that could deliver of up to two feet of snow. Right now if nothing changes the storm will be hitting the area Friday evening and continuing into Sunday morning,” said Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County DPW. “Our public works employees will be on the job to keep roadways clear and have already been applying brine solution to the county roads in these frigid temperatures.”
As it stands a developing nor’easter will approach the region Friday night bringing snow and a possible rain mix into Saturday morning. Strong winds will accompany the storm from 20 to 45 miles per hour and snow will continue into Saturday night.
Snow will taper off on Sunday and at this point in time accumulation amounts are undetermined based on the storm track.
At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 90 pieces of equipment stand ready to clear county roadways. If the weather becomes treacherous personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to address salt and plow 1,200 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 light of the high winds and heavy snow, crews will ensure all chainsaws and chippers are tuned up for the nor’easter for tree removal operations. Also, all mechanics will be called in to make sure plows and trucks stay on the road during the duration of the storm.
“As always, when the weather turns hazardous we recommend that motorists remain cautious and give themselves extra time to reach their destinations,” Shin Angulo said. “Anyone on the roadways during these times should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. Remember to leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work, and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations. Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”
In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, residents are asked to immediately call their utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore 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
Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
South Jersey Gas: 1–800–582–7060
South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/
As always, please use 911 for emergencies only. If there is a problem observed on a county road, residents are asked to call the 24-hour hotline at (856) 566–2980 to report it to DPW.
Continue to check www.camdencounty.com through the storm for weather and road condition updates. Information will also be provided through Facebook and Twitter.
