State Of Emergency In Gloucester County After Tornado

NEW JERSEY — Gloucester County is under a State of Emergency through Friday following a tornado that brought destruction to areas of South Jersey Wednesday night.

“It’s been a sadly tragic and historic 24 hours in New Jersey,” Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday morning as he stood in front of one of at least a dozen homes that was destroyed in Mullica Hill in Gloucester County. “This is going to take us some time to dig out of. We’re going to stay here, and be by the side of the residents and the small businesses that have been impacted so severely.”

Multiple roads and power outages were being reported across Mantua Township, Harrison Township, Deptford, Wenonah, and Woodbury Heights. The county advises Wenonah residents to be aware of wires down and debris. Schools in these towns are closed.

"We are asking all residents to stay in their houses unless emergency evacuation is needed," officials said in a prepared statement sent Thursday afternoon. "Multiple power lines are down and could cause injury. Please call 9-1-1 if you are in an emergency."

The Gloucester County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) continues to work directly with most affected municipalities to assess damage, provide resources and assist residents.

With the advocation of State Senate President Steve Sweeney, Gloucester County will have the federal funding that it needs to recover quickly and effectively, officials said.

“We asked the governor for help, and help came last night,” Sweeney said Thursday morning, adding that emergency responders did an incredible job throughout the county.

“The support is incredible,” Mullica Hill Mayor Louis Manzo said. “Not many businesses were physically impacted, but the farming community was impacted. This was devastating to that business, and that culture.”

Murphy said some small businesses in the northern and central parts of New Jersey were hit hard by the storm.

“If you’re a small business, you’re barely getting back on your feet from a pandemic, and you get whacked by this,” Murphy said. “I promise that we will stay with everybody. It won’t be a short road, but we’ll stay with them on that road to recovery.”

The Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management and Public Works has established a staging area at Rowan College of South Jersey to clear trees and debris in conjunction with the electric companies. The priority remains to make the road ways safe to travel, officials said.

Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) is set up as a Reception Center for residents to charge cell phones and seek heat relief, among other activities. Water and necessities are being provided by Walmart, CVS, American Water and CVS.

Mental Health Resources are onsite at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s Reception Center. GCIT is located at 1360 Tanyard Road in Sewell.

Anyone who needs temporary housing can call 856-589-0911 for assistance from NJ Red Cross.

Murphy called it a storm of tornadoes in the south and flooding in the north and central parts of the state. While there has been a confirmed tornado in Mullica Hill, the National Weather Service said there may have been as many as three tornadoes that hit New Jersey Wednesday night. Rail service remains suspended, and bus lines are running with delays, and at least 17 people died as a result of the storm in New York and New Jersey, according to NJ.com.

On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather service provided images from Wednesday night's storm. The service called the storm a "very impressive tornado that lofted debris thousands of feet into the air."

In Gloucester County, Mullica Hill, Harrison Township, Mantua, Woodbury Heights, Wenonah and Deptford were hit the hardest. Read more here: VIDEOS: Confirmed Tornado Rips Through South Jersey

Power outages and road closures continue to be a problem throughout the state, but in Gloucester County, no casualties were reported. Two people were in stable condition at Inspira Medical Center in Mullica Hill.

Murphy declared a State of Emergency Wednesday night, and said he would send a major disaster declaration request to FEMA later Thursday. Read more here: 1 Dead As Flooding Traps Drivers, Tornadoes Devastate New Jersey

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As of Thursday afternoon, the following road closures are being reported:

• Gateway High School to Mail Ave (affecting parts of Tanyard Rd.)
• Heritage Road between Jackson Road and Main St.
• Breakneck between Barnesboro Rd and Jackson Rd
• Clems Run between 322 and Ellis Mill Rd
• Jefferson Road between Jackson Rd and Breakneck Rd

This list is not the total road closure list as there are many municipal road closures. Gloucester County is still assessing road closures and will share updates as they become available.

Here are the rainfall totals for Gloucester County from Wednesday's storm, according to the National Weather Service:

• Pitman 0.7 ENE 2.24 in
• Washington Twp 2.1 NNW 2.11 in
• Monroe Twp. 1.8 SE 2.06 in
• Mickleton 1.98 in
• Pitman 0.1 W 1.85 in
• Mullica Hill 1.76 in
• Mullica Hill 1.74 in
• Sewell 1.74 in
• Washington Township 1.65 in