WITH TROPICAL STORM warnings in effect, Ocean County residents and visitors are urged to prepare for bad weather including strong winds and heavy rains.

“Today (Monday, Aug. 3) is the day to get prepared if you haven’t already,” said Ocean Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “While it may be a beautiful day today, tomorrow’s weather will be a different story.”

Residents and visitors should secure outside items that can be affected by strong, tropical storm force winds including deck furniture, outside umbrellas, flags, portable basketball hoops and other items. In addition, boats should be secured. Vehicles should be moved to higher ground if you are in a flood prone area.

Because of the strong winds, power outages may be widespread.

“The best thing to do is walk around your house and secure those things that you see that can fly away or get pushed over and become a hazard,” Vicari said. “As part of your storm preparation, make sure you have battery operated flashlights and report power outages right away to the power company that services your area.”

Also steer clear of downed power lines and always assume they are live and dangerous

If you experience an outage due to the weather, please report it using one of the following methods:

For Jersey Central Power and Light Company customers
• Text OUT to 544487
• Online at https://www.firstenergycorp.com/jersey_central_power_light.html
• Use the JCP&L smartphone app (iPhone and Android)
• Via the “Report an Outage” tab on Facebook
• Call 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877) to report power outages or downed power lines.

For Atlantic City Electric Customers:
• To report outages and/or downed wires, call 1-800-833-7476, follow the prompts, and ask for a call back to confirm that power has been restored. Outages also may be reported through their mobile app or at https://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/Outages/StormCenter/Pages/Default.aspxtarget or atlanticcityelectric.com/storm

Residents and visitors should also charge their cell phones prior to the storm and check on available local information sources including radio stations.

Vicari noted that since the storm is expected to create rip currents at the beach, beachgoers should pay especially close attention to the lifeguards to determine when swimming will be safe.

“Storms often raise curiosity and people want to go see what the ocean may look like,” Vicari said. “It’s really best to stay in a secure place until the storm passes. Venturing out can put you and our emergency responders at risk.”

If you must drive, motorists should always follow the rule of “turn around don’t drown” when you see flooded roadways.

Vicari added that residents can also contact their local office of emergency management with questions.

For more information on hurricane and storm preparedness visit the Ocean County website at www.co.ocean.nj.us and click on Be Prepared, Office of Emergency Management.