Governor Murphy and Colonel Callahan Advise New Jerseyans to Prepare for Hurricane Florence

New Jersey Search and Rescue Team Deployed to Carolinas

NEWARK – Governor Murphy and Colonel Callahan today advised New Jerseyans to prepare for the potential impact of Hurricane Florence. The Office of Emergency Management will continue to monitor the conditions of the hurricane and are working with counties to address any storm related needs.

Colonel Patrick Callahan, of the New Jersey State Police, announced the deployment of 80 members of New Jersey Task Force 1 to assist with the search and rescue operations as Hurricane Florence moves towards the Carolinas. The highly trained team, comprised of police, fire, and emergency medical personnel, were deployed from New Jersey Task Force 1 headquarters in Wall Township last night. The task force members are skilled in a variety of search and rescue operations including swift-water rescue, which will allow them to conduct rescue operations in a flooded area.

“As Hurricane Florence approaches our shore, we encourage all residents to prepare and take precautions,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Our first concern is public safety, and we will continue to monitor the storm and make preparations to ensure all residents are safe and secure.”

New Jersey State Police Superintendent and State Director of Emergency Management Colonel Patrick Callahan stressed the importance of connecting the public with reliable information sources to further assist them in their individual preparedness plans.

“Events such as Superstorm Sandy have taught us that awareness and preparedness saves lives. We encourage everyone to prepare today,” said Colonel Callahan.  Make time with your family to build a kit, a go-bag and create a communication plan. Tune in, log-on, opt-in, ‘like’ or ‘follow’ state, county, local and federal agencies for credible disaster-related information such as alerts and warnings, situational awareness updates, and where to find help. Personal connections matter, too. After you’ve completed your household preparedness activities, lend a hand to someone who may need assistance, or join the 27,000 New Jerseyans who have completed Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.”

A list of New Jersey’s County Offices of Emergency Management, with social media and local alert system links, can be found on our newly redesigned New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Website: www.ready.nj.gov.

NJOEM also recommends specific emergency preparedness actions:

Make an emergency kit: Emergency kits will allow individuals and families to survive several days without access to food, water or electricity. Emergency kits should include at least a three to five day supply of non-perishable food and water, prescription medications for up to two weeks if available, baby supplies, pet supplies and any additional items for special medical needs such as an extra pair of eye glasses and batteries for hearing aids. Your kit should also include important phone numbers for doctors as well as car cell-phone chargers. While gathering your emergency kit, pack a go-bag for your family as well. Your family go-bag should be something such as a duffle bag or gym bag that is easily accessible so you can grab it and go in the event that a fireman or police officer knocks on your door and tells you to evacuate immediately. These bags should include items such as prescription medication, food, water, extra clothing, and copies of important documents and phone numbers to get you through the first few critical days. For information on how to put a family emergency kit together, visit www.ready.nj.gov. 

Make an emergency plan. Make plans with family and friends in case you’re not together when any type of emergency – natural, technological or man-made – occurs. Discuss how you will contact each other, where you will meet and what you will do in different situations. Become familiar with your town’s evacuation routes. For information on how to put a family emergency plan together, visit www.ready.nj.gov. Pets are family too! Be sure to include them in your emergency plans by visiting www.animalemergency.nj.gov.

Download the NJ Hurricane Survival Guide: https://www.nj.gov/njoem/plan-prepare/hurricanes.shtml

When your family plan and kit are complete, consider taking it to next level by attending Community Emergency Response Team training. Information about CERT training can be found on the NJOEM website: www.state.nj.us/njoem/citizen/cert.html

Stay informed: NJOEM recommends the following ways to stay informed about emergencies:

Online – Use credible websites to get information about natural hazards and emergency preparedness. NJOEM works closely with the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding forecasts and other important disaster news.

• National Weather Service NJ is covered by two different weather stations: Mount Holly, NJ for most of the State and Upton, NY for the NE part of the State. For Northeast NJ residents and commuters to/from New York City, please visit: www.weather.gov/okx/. For the rest of New Jersey please visit: www.weather.gov/phi/.
• National Hurricane Center – www.nhc.noaa.gov
• NJOEM – www.ready.nj.gov
• ReadyNJ Updates Blog: www.readynj.wordpress.com
• NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness: www.njhomelandsecurity.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Emergency Preparedness Page: http://emergency.cdc.gov/
• Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov
• Register Ready: www.RegisterReady.nj.gov – New Jersey’s Special Needs Registry for Disasters allows NJ residents with disabilities or access and functional needs and their families, friends and associates an opportunity to provide information to emergency response agencies, so emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency. The information collected here is confidential and will not be available to the public. The information will be held securely and only used for emergency response and planning.

  Social Media – Social media and other advanced communications technologies are used by NJOEM and by emergency managers statewide.

• NJOEM on Facebook: www.facebook.com/READYNEWJERSEY
• NJOEM on Instagram: www.instagram/ReadyNJ 
• NJOEM on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ReadyNJ
• NJOEM on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ReadyNJ 
• NJ State Police on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewJerseyStatePolice
• NJ State Police on Instagram: www.instagram.com/NewJerseyStatePolice 
• NJ State Police on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NJSP
• NJ State Police on Instagram: www.instagram.com/NewJerseyStatePolice 

  Alerts – Mobile / Text (SMS) & E-Mail

• NIXLE – Subscribe to the NJ State Police (NJSP) on Nixle Connect at http://local.nixle.com/new-jersey-state-police/. New Jersey residents can register to receive messages by sending a text message with their zip code to 888777 (data rates may apply depending on your plan). Online registration is also available at www.nixle.com
• CMAS – the Community Mobile Alert System – this nationwide system is now being used the National Weather Service to transmit urgent weather info to your cell phone. A warning means the hazard is imminent; a watch means conditions are favorable for the hazard to occur. Your cell phone must be WEA (Wireless Emergency Alert) enabled to receive these messages.
• NOAA Weather Radio – is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service Office. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NOAA Weather Radios are typically inexpensive, readily available in stores and can often be programmed for your specific area. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/