Camden County to Residents: Stay Home

As Hurricane Irene continues its assault on the region—with the bulk of the storm expected to hit Camden County overnight—county officials held a Saturday evening phone conference to update the situation.

Haddonfield Mayor Tish Colombi provided Patch with an update on the situation, based on information from borough emergency management coordinator, Linda Harrington.

Camden County does not have shelters that cater to medically fragile, but could set up operations, if it becomes necessary. Supplies are on-hand to do so, Harrington said.

Residents should expect to ride out the storm in their homes. Loss of utilities is not a reason to seek outside shelter. A regional shelter has opened at Rowan University, but county towns were told to be self-sufficient in sheltering residents.

Other matters discussed on the call:

• Residents should report power outages to PSE&G at 1-800-436-7734, and downed lines to 911. PSE&G will not dispatch workers during the storm to restore power, but will respond to life-threatening conditions, like a downed wire on a car.

• Camden City issued a disaster proclamation, effective at 6 p.m. Saturday. The move prohibits non-emergency travel on city roads for 24 hours.

• Flood-prone streets in Camden City, including Admiral Wilson Boulevard and seconds of Kaighn Avenue, Federal Street and Delaware Avenue are closed.

• Vehicles traveling to Camden hospitals should use Haddon Avenue or Mt. Ephraim Avenue.

• Both President Obama and Gov. Christie have declared disasters in New Jersey. This makes it likely that towns can recoup some storm-related costs.