(Lindenwold, NJ) – Over the last 24 hours the Camden County Office of Emergency Management and Department of Public Safety have been assessing the damage from Winter Storm Finn. The nor’easter brought in heavy rains and strong winds, with gusts topping out at more than 65 miles per hour bringing down trees, power lines and isolated flooding throughout the county.
Currently, Admiral Wilson Boulevard, River Road, North and South Park Drives all continue to experience issues with flooding. This additional flooding also follows a continued shutdown on Nicholson Road at the intersection of Ward Avenue up to the Black Horse Pike in Audubon Borough. In addition, several municipalities experienced significant losses of power with residents in one town having about 85% of its residents without power. At the height of the storm the Camden County 911 call center took in almost 1,300 calls for service and assistance.
“Last night the men and women in our Department of Public Safety worked tirelessly through the night to support our local partners throughout the county to address the challenges presented by winter storm Finn,” Commissioner Jonathan Young, liaison to the Department of Public Safety said. “This storm was significant and created a variety of challenges for our team starting with our first high water rescue of the day at 3:00 p.m. at the Brooklawn Circle. From there teams were in the field in some of the more known areas assisting in roadway shutdowns and rescues throughout the night.”
In the aftermath of the storm, more than 65 trees came down throughout the county with almost half coming down on homes. The county faced more than 26 incidents of downed wires combined with 15 blown transformers and had three telephone poles come down throughout the night. In addition, a tractor trailer blew off the Atlantic City Expressway in Winslow Township and there was an external structural collapse at the Royal Inn in Bellmawr, that was contained to the balconies.
“I’m proud of the work that was done last night by our first responders, we have some of the best in the business and they proved why they have that title,” Young continued. “Whether it was rescuing residents out of cars on flooded roads or fighting fires during the storm, police, fire and EMS services throughout the county were dispatched to more than 930 incidents over the course of the storm.”
The county emergency operations center was activated and operated throughout the event providing support functions to our municipal partners such as fire, search and rescue teams. Swift water and high-water rescue teams were in the field most of the night.
Camden County’s Department of Public Works and the Parks Department are also still on the job working to clear county roadways. This stage of the event has been dedicated to cleaning up roadways and clearing storm drains while preparing for the next forecasted weather event that is slated for Friday.
“Our employees are still on the streets from last night and still waiting for some excess water to recede back into our waterways throughout the county that crested over their banks last night,” said Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the Department of Public Works. “The men and women out in the field did an excellent job of keeping roads passable during the worst of the storm. There still could be some residual debris on or near our roads, so if you see a problem on a county road, please call our 24-hour hotline at (856) 566-2980 to report it to the Department of Public Works.”
To stay up to date on the weather forecast in South Jersey, visit https://www.weather.gov/phi/