The Camden County Office of Emergency Management and Department of Public Safety will continue to monitor weather reports through the end of the week.
A potent storm system is expected to impact the area late tonight through early Friday morning. The main threats from this system will be heavy rain, potential flooding, and severe thunderstorms.
Scattered showers and isolated storms are expected to develop later tonight into early tomorrow. After that, clouds will break for some late-morning to midday sun before more widespread showers and strong thunderstorms return during the afternoon and evening hours.
“Camden County crews are clearing inlet tops of debris, checking on flood gates and preparing barricades and cones in case of the need for road closures. Our chippers are fueled and hitched to trucks and chainsaws are fueled and ready,” said Freeholder Ian Leonard, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works. “There are loaders stationed in the north, central and south portions of the County. We have two trucks loaded with sand and one with millings.”
Any of these storms will be capable of producing heavy downpours, which could contribute to localized flash flooding. At this point, widespread flash flooding is not expected. Residents are encouraged to drive with caution and avoid low-lying areas where flooding is known to occur.
“If flooding occurs in our area, never drive your vehicle into areas where water covers the roadway,” Leonard said. “Flood waters are usually deeper than they appear. Just one foot of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep vehicles off the road.”
The main threat time for severe weather will be from 2 to 10 p.m. Thursday.
Strong damaging winds, frequent lightning and large hail are all a concern, especially if discrete supercell thunderstorms are able to develop. Additionally, the threat for an isolated tornado will be somewhat elevated.
“If there is an emergency situation, residents should call 911,” Leonard said. “If they want to report downed trees on a County road, they should call Public Works at (856) 566–2980.”
If the storm takes out electricity, residents should remember to call an outage in immediately to their utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore power.
Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers and the two gas utilities 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/
