Camden County employees are continuing to address area roadways as drifting snow and flurries impact travel and the Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Operations Center remains open.
“Starting from storm preparations and pretreating operations early yesterday, county personnel are continuing to move snow and slush off of our roads. This is a full scale operation with all equipment and manpower mobilized to keep Camden County motorists moving and streets clear,” said Freeholder Ian Leonard, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works (DPW).
More than 90 pieces of equipment were deployed from the DPW complex in Lindenwold to the 12 winter maintenance districts. As the roadways continue to be hazardous, they are still on the job clearing 1,200 lane miles of roadways across the county.
“If you need to be on the road today, please proceed with caution. In order to help us keep you moving, please leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work,” Leonard said. “Also, please move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations.”
Weather reports monitored by Camden County overnight called for significantly lower snow accumulation totals that were originally forecast due to the eastward shift of the storm. This spared the area from the higher intensity snowfall Juno had the potential to deliver. For the remainder of the day, occasional areas of light to moderate snow will fade to flurries by the afternoon. Gusty winds will lead to some blowing and drifting as temperatures stay in the 20s the entire day.
Residents and area businesses are reminded that shoveling or plowing snow into the street in front of their property is prohibited by law in New Jersey.
The Freeholder Board also offers assistance to senior citizens and disabled residents who are unable to remove significant amounts of snow accumulation from their properties.
“The snow removal program is available to help seniors and disabled individuals get out of their homes for necessities such as prescriptions or medical appointments,” said Freeholder Michelle Gentek, liaison to the Camden County Department of Corrections. “The program uses jail inmates who are carefully screened, non-violent offenders who are guarded at all times on the job site by corrections officers.”
* The Snow Removal Program will go into effect only after a significant amount of snow has fallen on the ground in our area.
* At-risk senior and disabled residents can contact the Camden County Division of Emergency Management at (856) 783–4808 ext. 5060, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
* Calls for snow removal will not be taken until after it has stopped snowing.
* Work Crews will be dispatched only after it has stopped snowing. The work crews will remove snow only during daylight hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
* Crews will respond to calls in the order they are received and will service as many residents as possible each day. There are no guaranteed times when the crews will arrive at a residence.
* Senior and Disabled residents must call after each substantial snowfall to request this service.
The Department of Corrections will supply the needed equipment. The program does not supply salt or ice-melting chemicals, but crews will dispense them if supplied by residents. Contact and conversation between the inmates and the public are prohibited. Gratuities and gifts or money, food, drink or any other item is strictly prohibited.
In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, please remember to immediately call your utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power. 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 you see a problem on a county road, please call our 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.
