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

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy and Colonel Patrick Callahan today advised New Jerseyans to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Isaias. Additionally, a tornado watch has been issued throughout the state. 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.

“As Hurricane Isaias continues to move throughout our state, we encourage all residents to take necessary precautions to stay safe and secure,” said Governor Murphy. “Our main concern is public safety, and our emergency response team is prepared to help New Jerseyans with any needed assistance during this time.”

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 stay connected and be prepared,” 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, be a good neighbor and lend a hand to someone who may need assistance.”

A list of New Jersey’s County Offices of Emergency Management, with social media and local alert system links, may 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 firefighter 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 

Download the NJ Tornado Survival Guide: http://ready.nj.gov/plan-prepare/tornadoes.shtml

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
• 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:

• 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
• Nextdoor: www.nextdoor.com

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: 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/