(Lindenwold, NJ) – Well in advance of the first sign of precipitation, preparations have already been underway at the Camden County Department of Public Works (CCDPW) to respond to inclement conditions on area roadways.
“Our CCDPW crews have been checking the plows and loading the salt trucks while we monitor yet another winter storm forecasted to begin impacting our region tomorrow morning and which carries the potential to deliver between 2” and 4” of snow and sleet accumulation,” said Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the CCDPW. “Our crews will be prepared for whatever form this precipitation takes and are ready to keep county roadways clear.”
Snow is forecasted to begin falling Thursday morning before changing to sleet, and eventually freezing rain, as warmer air mixes in later in the afternoon. This mix of sleet and freezing rain will continue intermittently overnight into Friday. Snow may fall at a rate as high as 1” per hour prior to any mixing.
At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. 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 the storm should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. 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 operations,” Dyer said. “Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”
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. Any storm has the potential to bring down trees and power lines, so 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.
The Camden County Vaccination Center, run in partnership with Cooper University Health Care and Jefferson Health- New Jersey will be open and operational during the storm on Thursday and will be honoring all appointments. The facility has started to facilitate second doses and will run on regular hours tomorrow.
Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. talked about the importance of keeping the clinic open for residents.
“Regardless of the weather, the clinic will be seeing thousands of patients, many getting their second dose of the Moderna vaccine,” Cappelli said. “I have full faith and confidence that our public works department will keep the roads clear for residents to get their vaccine on Thursday. Like any other necessary travel during a winter weather event we are asking people to plan accordingly, give yourself plenty of time and stay several car lengths away from our plows while they work to clear and treat the streets.”
If a patient is unable to make it to the vaccination center tomorrow and needs to reschedule for the following Friday or Saturday please call (800) 999-9045.
Continue to check www.camdencounty.com through the storm for weather and road condition updates. Information will also be provided through Facebook and Twitter.