Coastal Storm Upgraded; Howell Has Safety Tips For Residents

HOWELL, NJ — Howell could be in for heavy rain and winds Saturday from the coastal storm upgraded to Tropical Storm Ophelia, the coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management for the township said.

OEM Coordinator Victor Cook said Howell should expect anywhere from 2-4 inches of rain with winds gusting 35-40 MPH. Wind gusts may possibly up to 50 MPH starting in the early morning hours of Saturday.

Localized flooding and power outages could occur, he said.

Cook said his office will continue to monitor the storm and update residents as needed.

Here is some storm preparation advice from Cook:

• Take down any outdoor furniture or displays that could fly away in the wind.
• In the event outages occur due to severe weather, customers without power are encouraged to report their outage by calling 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), clicking the “Report Outage” link on www.firstenergycorp.com, or by texting to 544487.
• Customers should immediately report downed wires to 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or call their local police department.
• JCP&L reminds customers to stay away from downed wires, even if they believe they are no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled with trees or other debris.
• Motorists are cautioned to treat intersections with inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.
• Do not drive through flooded streets. "Turn around before you Drown," Cook cited.
• Residents are urged, while using a generator in a power outage, to move the generator away from the home, and NEVER leave the generator operational in the garage.

Howell recently experienced severe weather on Sept. 8. A Central Jersey storm that day hit the township hard with flooding, many trees down and power outages to more than 2,000 customers, as well as hail.

Public works employees removed between five to 10 downed trees to open roadways that were blocked by them, Cook said. JCP&L worked throughout that weekend to restore power.