Commissioner Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the county Department of Health and Human Services, advises municipalities that Camden County will be under a Code Blue Alert from 7 p.m. tomorrow evening until 7 a.m. Wednesday. The alert will also be in effect from 7 p.m. on Feb. 25 until 10 a.m. on Feb. 26, and from 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 until 9 a.m. on Feb 27.
“With overnight temperatures dipping below the freezing point for most of this week, we all need to take extra precautions to stay safe and warm,” Rodriguez said.
“When temperatures reach this low, it is important to check on elderly relatives and neighbors, and to ensure that they are warm and safe. Even inside, cold conditions can quickly become dangerous for vulnerable populations, especially those who lack heat or electricity.”
When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.
With more than 75 percent of households in Camden County owning a cat or a dog, Rodriguez also wants to ensure that all pets are safe during these extreme temperatures as well.
The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans. Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather.
Persons seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality.
New after-hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline phone number: 2-1-1
Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at (800) 999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.
