South Jersey is expecting a major winter storm Friday into Saturday. Stay off the roads, public safety officials advise.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
Offices of Emergency Management in Ventnor, Margate and Longport are taking their usual precautions during the pending winter storm forecasted to reach the area Friday evening into Saturday morning.
Although confidence in the weather forecast regarding the amount of snow that will fall is very low at this time, the National Weather Service said there is potential for accumulations of 4-9 inches or more, with the highest totals along the shore. Strong winds and minor to moderate flooding is possible, so residents should take the usual precautions, such as moving vehicles to higher ground and tying down any lawn furnishings that could become projectiles. Wind could cause low visibility and snow drifts. NWS said wind gusts could be as high as 40-miles-per-hour.
Margate Emergency Management Coordinator Chuck LaBarre said the Police, Fire and Public Works departments are keeping up-to-date on the forecast and will be ready to clear roads and respond as necessary.
“We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” he said early Thursday afternoon. “It may be the worst storm we’ve had over the last four or five years, but not as bad as Jonas.”
LaBarre said it is fortunate the storm is coming on the weekend when many people are not commuting to their jobs and children are not in school.
“As with all hazardous weather conditions, we recommend people stay off the roads and allow the public safety professionals to do their jobs,” he said.
Public Works will be plowing roads on Saturday and Sunday.
“People in low-lying areas should take their usual precautions,” he said.
Depending on the direction of the wind, high tides and amount of snow that falls will determine how severe flooding will be.
In Longport, OEM Coordinator Bruce Funk said he didn’t want to be “the boy who cried wolf. We’re not getting 40 inches of snow, but it could be 6-12 inches,” he said.
Funk said he follows the Stevens Institute of Technology Flood Advisory System, which is calling for tides to be 6 feet above mean low water.
“When it gets to be around 7 feet, that’s when I put out notifications,” he said.
In the meantime, he recommends residents keep abreast of the forecast and download a weather advisory app to their cell phones. Residents can also sign up for CodeRED or Ready Atlantic advisories on the borough’s website.
In a letter to residents posted at Longport-nj.gov, Funk wrote that the safety of residents is a priority, as is clearing every street of snow in a timely manner.
After two residents alerted the governing body last week about basketball and hockey nets being left in the street, it might be a good time for property owners to move them off the roadway so plows and emergency vehicles could have safe passage.
Funk also advised residents to be prepared to shelter in place for at least 72 hours.
“That means we encourage you to have adequate drinking water, non-perishable foods, blankets, battery-powered lights, etc.,” the letter states.
Ventnor Fire Chief Michael Cahill just finished a meeting with city officials and reported that everyone is geared up to do what has to be done.
“The Fire Department has loaded up with salt, sand and snow blowers so we can get our apparatus out of the stations,” he said.
He will increase staffing, adding a 10-member platoon and a second ambulance to the weekend crew.
“We will wait to see the hazards and risks to determine if we need to continue increased staffing through the weekend,” he said.
The department has high-water trucks that can traverse flooded, snow-covered streets, but residents should stay off the roads, he said.
“Get all the stuff you need to make French toast today and wait it out like all good citizens should do,” he said.
Although Gov. Phil Murphy has yet to issue an emergency declaration, if he does, it will state it is unsafe to drive and the only people on the roads should be first responders, he said.
Cahill reminded residents that the city’s first priority is to plow streets for the purpose of ensuring emergency services can operate effectively.
“Public Works often gets a bad rap because someone’s street is not plowed sooner than they think it should be, but people have to realize that the city’s first priority is that public safety personnel can reach you in an emergency,” he said.
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