Senator Bob Gordon and Assemblywomen Joan Voss and Connie Wagner on Friday urged Bergen County residents to be prepared and follow all necessary precautions being advised by state and local energy management units as Hurricane Irene bears down on New Jersey.
“There is nothing we can do in the face of such powerful storms except to be prepared and vigilant,” said Voss (D-Bergen). “Hopefully everyone has heeded the warning to have their homes stocked with water, batteries, flashlights, first aid kits, any necessary medications and non-perishable food items.
“Residents should also make every effort to secure their property and store away anything susceptible to winds, particularly any lawn furniture, and especially umbrellas, which can turn into a deadly object in the face of extreme winds,” said Wagner (D-Bergen). “Above all else, residents should remain inside and off the roads as conditions become treacherous.”
“No precaution is too small to heed right now,” said Gordon (D-Bergen). “Irene could potentially be the worst storm this state has seen in roughly 70 years, so most residents have never witnessed something of this magnitude. Now is not the time to be careless or indifferent. Everyone should follow the advice of emergency management officials and be as prepared as possible.”
Following the advice of other emergency management officials, the legislators also urged residents to have their cell phones charged and to make sure that gas tanks are at least half full.
For in depth details on how to prepare, the lawmakers urged residents to visit the NJ Department of Homeland Security’s Hurricane Preparedness websites: (English) http://ready.nj.gov/plan/hurricanes.html, (Spanish) http://www.listo.gov/ or the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management’s website for pertinent local information: http://www.bcoem.org/
Residents are also urged to check with mass transit websites for updates as New Jersey and New York contemplate shutdowns of the entire mass transit system.
NJ Transit: http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TravelAlertsTo
MTA: http://www.mta.info/
They also warned commuters that bridges such as the George Washington may be closed as winds peak.
For tracking information and general updates on the storm, Gordon, Voss and Wagner urged residents to visit http://ready.nj.gov/ .