- Saturday August 27th, 2011 :: 07:00 p.m. EDT
Hunterdon County has Declared a State of Emergency in preparation of Hurricane Irene
EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION TO ALL RESIDENTS AND PERSONS WITHIN THE COUNTY OF HUNTERDON , NEW JERSEY AND TO ALL DEPARTMENTS AND MUNCIPALITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY OF HUNTERDON WHEREAS, pursuant to the powers vested by Chapter 251 of the Laws of 1942 as amended and supplemented, N.J.S.A App. A: 9 30 et seq., specifically N.J.S.A. App. A:9-42.2, the Hunterdon County Emergency Management Coordinator is responsible for the development, coordination, and activation of countywide mutual aid emergency management plans and for the activation of such emergency management facilities and services as are available from the resources of the county government in the event of emergencies; and WHEREAS, by reason of the extreme weather conditions attendant to Hurricane Irene as identified by the National Hurricane Center which currently or will, in the immediate future, exist in and around the COUNTY OF HUNTERDON, a local disaster emergency exists within the boundaries of the COUNTY OF HUNTERDON which may affect the health, safety and welfare of the people of the COUNTY OF HUNTERDON, and WHEREAS, the National Weather Service has issued a TROPICAL STORM WARNING and FLOOD WATCH predicting excessive rain, high winds and record flooding, beginning on Saturday, August 27, 2011; Sunday August 28, 2011 and continuing through Monday August 29, 2011; and WHEREAS, the affects of Hurricane Irene will produce 6 to 12 inches of rain; and WHEREAS, the aforesaid conditions constitute an imminent hazard that threatens and presently endangers the health, safety, and resources of the residents of one or more municipalities within the County and may become in other parts of the County too large in scope to be handled by the normal local operating services warranting the implementation of the support of the State of New Jersey; and WHEREAS, the Hunterdon County Emergency Operations Center will be activated as of 1200 hours, Saturday August 27, 2011 as a result of these impending conditions AND continue to be activated until such conditions warrant otherwise; and WHEREAS, the Hunterdon County Emergency Management, Fire Coordinators, EMS Coordinators, Prosecutors Office, Public Works, the R.A.C.E.S. / A.R.E.S Radio Groups, along with various Hunterdon County Departments, Utility Companies, Central Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross, affiliated State of New Jersey agencies and the Hunterdon County Municipal Offices of Emergency Management are pre-positioned to respond to the potential disaster associated with Hurricane Irene; and WHEREAS, the aforesaid laws authorize the promulgation of such orders, rules and regulations as are necessary to meet the various problems which have occurred or may occur due to such emergency, and WHEREAS, it has been determined by the Hunterdon County Emergency Management Coordinator, with the concurrence of the Hunterdon County Board of Chosen Freeholders, that the COUNTY OF
HUNTERDON should then be declared a disaster area; and, further that certain measures must be taken in order to insure an orderly flow of traffic and to protect the persons and property of the residents affected by the conditions, and WHEREAS, the following areas are designated as potential disaster areas: ALL AREAS AND MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY OF HUNTERDON NOW, THEREFORE, I, Brayden J. Fahey , Emergency Management Coordinator for the County of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the State of New Jersey do hereby indicate that a State of Emergency exists and will continue to exist in the County of Hunterdon, and I hereby ORDER AND DIRECT the following: I authorize and direct the County and its Political Subdivisions, including but not limited to the duly appointed Municipal Emergency Management Coordinators, to activate all of those elements of their Emergency Operations Plans deemed necessary to safeguard the public security, health, and welfare, and to coordinate the recovery effort from this emergency with all governmental agencies, volunteer organizations, and the private sector.
State of New Jersey resources will be needed to assist, should an evacuation occur, to assist Hunterdon County residents, visitors and their pets as there will be thousands of homes, nursing homes and businesses requiring State and Local Governments and non-governmental agencies (such as the American Red Cross) to open shelters within and outside of Hunterdon County and assist in evacuations, traffic movement and road closures. I authorize and empower the County and its Political Subdivisions, in accordance with N.J.S.A. App.A:9-33 et seq., through local law enforcement agencies, to determine the control and direction of the flow of such vehicular traffic on any municipal or county road, including the right to detour, reroute, or divert any or all traffic and to prevent ingress or egress from any area that, in their discretion, is deemed necessary for the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the public, and to remove parked or abandoned vehicles from such roadways as conditions warrant.
In coordination with the Hunterdon County EMS, Fire and Rescue Coordinators I direct all First Aid & Rescue Squads and Fire Departments to ensure all stations are adequately staffed to support the anticipated increased call volume.
Furthermore, all Fire Departments, Police Departments and First Aid & Rescue Squads will only be permitted to support pre-designated, mutual aid procedures (fire boxes and daily mutual aid). No emergency organization will “self deploy” to any area outside of Hunterdon County without the direction and approval of the Hunterdon County Division of Emergency Management. I authorize and empower the County utilize all facilities owned, rented, operated, and maintained by the County of Hunterdon and request the State of New Jersey to house and shelter persons and their pets who may need to be evacuated from a residence, dwelling, building, structure, or vehicle during the course of this emergency.
I request that, through the New Jersey State Police Office of Emergency Management activate resources deemed necessary to address casualties resulting from these emergency conditions, including the State of New Jersey Mass Fatality and Mortuary Services Plan. I authorize and empower the County, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4 and N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1, to request the order to active duty such members of the New Jersey National Guard who, in the Adjutant General's judgment, are necessary to provide aid to those localities where there is a threat or danger to the public health, safety, and welfare and to authorize the employment of any supporting vehicles, equipment, communications, or supplies as may be necessary to support the members so ordered. In accordance with the N.J.S.A. App.A:9-34 and N.J.S.A. App.A:9-51, I reserve the right to request all available resources of the State government and of each and every political subdivision of Hunterdon County, whether of persons, properties, or instrumentalities, and to utilize any personal services and any privately owned property necessary to protect against this emergency. This Order, a Pre Event Disaster Emergency Proclamation, shall take effect immediately and shall remain in effect until such time as it is determined by me that an emergency no longer exists. Hunterdon County Office of Emergency Management Declaration of Emergency via EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION For: HURRICANE IRENE _________________________________________________ Brayden J. Fahey Emergency Management Coordinator, County of Hunterdon _________________________________________________
J. Matthew Holt Freeholder Director, County of Hunterdon
Address/Location
Hunterdon County Dept. of Public Safety Office of Emergency Mgmt
201 Cherryville Rd
Flemington, NJ 08822
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 908-788-1196