How Tabernacle Township handled Hurricane Irene
By Katrina Grant
Hurricane Irene may not have hit Southern New Jersey with the full force that a Category One hurricane brings with it, but it still brought damage. For the first time in six years, the state faced the prospect of a major hurricane, and one of that magnitude hadn’t been seen since the 1930s. In the end, across the East Coast, millions were left without power, dozens lost their lives and the cost of damage is estimated to be in the billions.
Many counties in New Jersey were in the direct path of the storm and all had their own way of dealing with it. Tabernacle Township was among them.
“The township put out notice through the Emergency Network System. We wanted all residents to prepare,” William Lowe, Tabernacle Township Emergency Management coordinator said. “We also had the Tabernacle Platoon of the Pinelands CERT help us run the Emergency Operations Center for two days.”
The township asked all residents to have the following items:
— Three days of food for each person in the household.
— One gallon of water for each person in the household.
— To check the county website, if possible, for any updates.
— To have a plan to evacuate if they needed to go.
Public works in the township was put on alert, as was the fire company and rescue crews.
“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been,” Lowe said. “We had about 2,500 residents lose powers, and one tree hit a house. There was flooding and some downed trees. Pretty much people stayed inside. There weren’t a lot of people on the roads.”
The township didn’t experience any fires or major damage. One resident did need to be medically evacuated.
“We were incredibly lucky considering everything,” Lowe said. “Most of the roads are safe to drive on. We have been clearing trees. Most of the roads I’ve gone down don’t have much damage.”
