Camden County Office of Emergency Management issues “Code Blue”

The Camden County Office of Emergency Management declared that Camden County will be under a Code Blue Advisory from for the following dates and times due to projected dangerously low temperatures by the National Weather Service:

Wednesday February 4, 7:00 a.m. – Monday February 9, 7:00 a.m.

• Projected temperature: Below freezing throughout the timeframe.

Code Blue Advisories are declared when the National Weather Service predicts that the temperature is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or the wind chill temperature will be zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower for a period of two hours or more.

“As temperatures fall to dangerously low levels, it is critical that our residents have access to a safe place to stay warm,” said Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Safety. “We urge everyone to check in on vulnerable neighbors, ensure heating systems are working properly, and bring pets indoors.”

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Camden County Office of Emergency Management issues “Code Blue”

Sunday, February 1, 7:00 a.m. – Wednesday, February 4, 7:00 a.m.

• Projected temperature: Below freezing throughout the timeframe

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When Weather and Walkways are Treacherous, Slow and Steady is the Way to Go

by Hospital for Special Surgery

Aleksey Dvorzhinskiy, MD, Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery

Newswise — The snow storm and freezing temperatures have turned many streets into obstacle courses. Snow and ice on the ground present hazardous conditions that could lead to a fall if people are not careful.

“An invisible patch of ice is an accident waiting to happen,” according to Aleksey Dvorzhinskiy, MD, an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City at HSS Long Island in Uniondale. “People often forget how dangerous a fall can be, especially when they’re in a hurry to get somewhere.”

Dr. Dvorzhinskiy says everyone should exercise caution after a snow storm. Even after much of the snow and ice is removed, there are always some slippery surfaces to watch out for.

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N.J. School Closures, Delayed Openings for Monday, January 26

Photo: istockphoto.com

New Jersey

Alice Costello Elementary School, Brooklawn (Camden) – Closed

Audubon School District (Camden) – Closed
Bellmawr Borough School District (Camden) – Closed.
Benjamin Banneker Prep Charter School (Burlington) – Closed.
Burlington Co. Inst. of Technology BCIT (Burlington) – Closed.
Burlington County Special Services (Burlington) – Closed.
Camden City School District (Camden) – Closed.
Center for Education (Burlington) – Closed.
Ewing Township School District (Mercer) – Closed.

Gloucester Catholic High School (Camden) – Closed.

Gloucester City School District (Camden) – Closed.
Haddon Heights School District (Camden) – Closed.
Hainesport Township School District (Burlington) – Closed.
Lenape Regional School District (Burlington) – Closed.
Lewis School of Princeton (Mercer) – Closed.
Little Kids College – Tremont St (Mercer) – Closed.
Little Kids College-Cherry St (Mercer) – Closed.
Little Kids College-Lawrenceville (Mercer) – Closed.
Lumberton Township School District (Burlington) – Closed.
Medford Township Public Schools (Burlington) – Closed.

Mount Ephraim School District (Camden) – Closed

Parkview Elementary School, Westville (Gloucester) – Closed
Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional (Salem) – Closed.
Pineland Learning Center (Cumberland) – Closed.
Shamong Township School District (Burlington) – Closed.
St Augustine Prep (Atlantic) – Closed.
St. Cecilia School (Camden) – Closed.
Vineland City School District (Cumberland) – Closed.
Westampton Township School District (Burlington) – Closed.
Weymouth Township School District (Atlantic) – Closed.
Winslow Township School District (Camden) – Closed.

Camden County Emergency Operations Center Has Been Activated in Response to Severe Winter Storm

The Camden County Office of Emergency Management has activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to Sunday’s severe winter storm.

“The EOC functions as our nerve center throughout the storm, and it will be where we will allocate assets wherever they may be needed across Camden County,” said Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Safety. “We remain in constant communication with our state and local partners to ensure that our residents are safe throughout the duration of this storm.”

Camden County’s Department of Public Works and Camden County Parks Department will be working throughout the storm to ensure that county roadways are passable and respond to downed trees and debris. At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to 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.

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NJDOT issues emergency regulation lowering speed limit to 35 mph

Order also applies to NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway

New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Acting Commissioner Joe Bertoni has issued an Emergency Traffic Regulation Order that temporarily lowers all posted speed limits to 35 miles per hour on Interstate and State highways in New Jersey starting at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, January 25. The speed limit reduction applies to:

All Interstate highways in New Jersey
All U.S. and State highways in New Jersey
The New Jersey Turnpike
The Garden State Parkway
The Atlantic City Expressway

The speed limit reduction is being made out of an abundance of caution based on the forecast for heavy snow, ice, and strong winds statewide. Winter weather is expected to begin early Sunday morning, January 25 and continue into Monday, January 26, which could make driving conditions treacherous throughout the state.

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Camden County Public Works crews on the job as severe winter weather impacts South Jersey

snow clearing — Photo by Sergei Starostin on Pexels.com

As a major winter storm begins to impact South Jersey, crews from the Camden County Department of Public Works are being deployed throughout Camden County to ensure the county’s 1,200 lane miles of road are safe and passable for motorists.

“We have not seen a snowstorm of this caliber in several years, and we are expecting hazardous road conditions across Camden County,” said Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Department of Public Safety. “It is crucial that everyone stay off the roads for the duration of this storm unless travel is absolutely essential.”

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Dangerous Cold and Winter Storm Briefing

Snowfall amounts reduced slightly, with highest reductions south and east of the I-95 corridor as confidence increases in mixing occurring. Impacts are unchanged as the combination of snow/sleet/freezing
rain will bring major disruptions to the area. Widespread snow and sleet totals ranging from 4″ to 8″ in southern zones. Snowfall rates near 1-2″ per hour likely (60-80%) during the daytime period Sunday.
Narrow corridor of highest ice accumulations shifted southeastward, now more over South Jersey and Delmarva rather than the I-95 corridor. Confidence is low on where the highest ice totals are.
High confidence in widespread MAJOR impacts expected for most of the region.
Heavy snow and some ice accumulation will make travel dangerous or impossible. Expect widespread road closures and significant delays on major interstates and highways.
The highest ice accumulations were also shifted slightly southeast. Some isolated power outages possible with ice accumulations potentially ranging from 0.1″ to 0.3″ when snow will mix with or change to sleet and freezing rain across southern NJ beginning Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening.
No changes to the Winter Storm Warning, which remains in effect from tonight until Monday morning. A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect where wind chills and temperatures in the single digits to below zero are expected for several consecutive nights.

New Jersey American Water Readies for Winter Storm

State’s largest water and wastewater utility prepares for snowstorm and shares safety tips for customers
New Jersey American Water is preparing for forecasted snowstorm and freezing wintery mix this weekend. The company has initiated readiness efforts to mitigate potential impacts to its water and wastewater plants and distribution systems.

“We are committed to providing safe and reliable water service to our customers, even through extreme weather conditions,” said Benjamin Morris, vice president of operations for New Jersey American Water. “Our team of experts is highly trained on emergency preparedness, response and management and is ready to handle any service disruptions that may come our way.”

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