The county advises residents to stay off roads during the storm.
The following is a press release from Camden County:
The Camden County Department of Public Works (DPW) is continuing to address 1,200 lane miles of roadways across the county as all nonessential county operations have closed for the day, along with the courts and the office of the Camden County Prosecutor. All classes and activities at Camden County College have been canceled. The Camden County Technical School is closed, along with all branches of the Camden County Library System. The Camden County Animal Shelter has also closed for the day. Please monitor the county’s website and social media platforms for updates.
“This continues to be an all-hands-on-deck operation to keep Camden County roadways passible,” said Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County DPW. “We will continue with this operation throughout the day and evening clearing roadways of snow and slush.”
Due to the heavy, wet snow combined with wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour, downed trees and power lines are a risk. In addition, watch for wet surfaces to freeze over as temperatures dip to below freezing tonight.
Since the storm began, 90 pieces of equipment and 100 employees have been deployed from the Public Works complex in Lindenwold to Camden County’s 12 winter maintenance districts. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.
“If you don’t have to travel, please stay off the roads to give our crews the ability to effectively do their job. Anyone on the roadways during these times should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions and poor visibility. Always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work, and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations,” Shin Angulo said. “Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”
The Camden County Freeholder Board offers assistance to senior citizens and disabled residents who are unable to remove significant amounts of snow accumulation from their properties.
“The snow removal program is available to help seniors and disabled individuals get out of their homes for necessities such as prescriptions or medical appointments,” said Freeholder Jonathan Young, liaison to the Camden County Department of Corrections. “The program uses Camden County Jail inmates who are carefully screened, non-violent offenders who are guarded at all times on the job site by corrections officers.”
- The Snow Removal Program will go into effect only after 4 inches of snow has fallen on the ground in our area.
- At-risk senior and disabled residents can contact the Camden County Division of Emergency Management at (856) 783–4808 ext. 5060, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
- Calls for snow removal will not be taken until after it has stopped snowing.
- Work Crews will be dispatched only after it has stopped snowing. The work crews will remove snow only during daylight hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Crews will respond to calls in the order they are received and will service as many residents as possible each day. There are no guaranteed times when the crews will arrive at a residence.
- Senior and Disabled residents must call after each substantial snowfall to request this service.
The Department of Corrections will supply the needed equipment. The program does not supply salt or ice-melting chemicals, but crews will dispense them if supplied by residents. Contact and conversation between the inmates and the public are prohibited. Gratuities and gifts or money, food, drink or any other item is strictly prohibited.
In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, please remember to immediately call your utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power. This storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines. Residents need to be extra cognizant of any power failures. Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:
- PSE&G: 1–800–436-PSEG (7734)
- PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
- Atlantic City Electric: 1–800–833–7476
- Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
- South Jersey Gas: 1–800–582–7060
- South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/
As always, please use 911 for emergencies only. If you see a problem on a county road, please call our 24-hour hotline at (856) 566–2980 to report it to DPW.
Continue to check www.camdencounty.com through the storm for weather and road condition updates. Information will also be provided through Facebook and Twitter.
