Officials to Discuss Hurricane Prep Tonight

Township officials will meet this evening to solidify preparations for Hurricane Irene, as the current Category 2 storm makes its way toward the East Coast.

The meeting will be held at the municipal building at 6:30 p.m., according to Gloucester Township Police Chief W. Harry Earle. The meeting is not open to the public, but key pieces of information from it will be available later here on GT Patch.

"It's really uncertain how it's going to affect us, but it certainly looks like it is going to affect us in some way, so you have to be prepared," Earle said.

The township has not yet decided whether to open emergency shelters, but a plan is in place to open up township school buildings for residents in need, if necessary, according to officials.

Hurricane Irene is expected to dump 6 to 12 inches of rain on the area, according to the National Weather Service's latest forecast, issued at 12:33 p.m., with sustained winds of 50 to 70 mph and gusts of up to 90 mph.

Officials are urging residents to stay home during the storm, which is expected to impact our area Saturday afternoon through Sunday night. Flooding is expected.

"We would ask the residents to remain off the roads as much as they can," Mayor David Mayer said this afternoon. "Of course, prepare today. Food, water, flashlights—anything they may need for their homes."

One concern Earle mentioned this morning as the hurricane heads toward New Jersey is the traffic Jersey Shore evacuations could create on Route 42 and the Atlantic City Expressway, both of which run through the township, over the next few days.

The township's emergency management coordinator, Gloucester Township Police Sgt. Jack Swack, met with Camden County Office of Emergency Management officials today, according to the police chief.

"We'll get through it," Mayer said. "I feel we're very prepared. We want the residents of Gloucester Township to know that we are making every effort to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature brings us."

Mayer noted the police department's operations center, which opened last year and serves as a hub for coordinating police, fire, emergency-medical and public-works services in emergencies, had a practice run with Tuesday's earthquake.

"The good thing is we've been able to plan (for Irene), unlike with an earthquake," he said.

Earle and Mayer encourage residents to sign up for the free Global Connect emergency-notification system in advance of Hurricane Irene.