Hurricane Irene: Things Residents Should Know

Police, fires and rescue squads already although Police Sgt. Mike Shimsky, who heads the township Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said the only area in the township that generally flood-prone is around Newell Drive and Harrison Brook Drive.

Residents only should call 9-1-1 if their residence is flooding to the point of them needing to evacuate, Shimsky said. "We don’t anticipate ordering evacuations, however if it is getting bad and residents in the flood prone areas can stay with friends/relatives, that would be preferable," he said.

ADDED: For specific instructions from the Bernards Township Office of Emergency Management on how to handle the pending inclement weather, click here.   

As part of that preparation, Shimske earlier said any residents who have family members with special needs may want to provide information to emergency response agencies. That will allow emergency responders to better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency. To do so, they should contact the local office of emergency management at the police department, 908-766-1122, or register on NJ Register Ready: https://www13.state.nj.us/SpecialNeeds/

Fire officials with the Liberty Corner and Basking Ridge fire companies said they were also preparing for the approaching storm by making sure equipment was ready to go. The fire companies provide backup to police, emergency responders and other towns as needed, they said.

Extra police will be working this weekend, and contingencies have been worked out with the fire companies and road departments so that large equipment will be parked around town to drive through flooded areas in case of emergencies, Shimsky said on Friday.

However, the fire companies said they do not pump out flooded basements. John Sabel, spokesman for Basking Ridge Fire Co., said pumping out basements increases the risk of the basements collapsing inward.

Shelters in case of emergency: All township schools, the Liberty Corner Presbyterian Church and the Somerset Hills Baptist Church would serve as shelters if necessary. Under no circumstances should people contact those places, Shimsky said. He said if someone wants to evacuate their home, the OEM will set them up in a place to stay, but he mostly advised people to stay home, even if their basements flood.

"We would go door to door" in the very unlikely case of evacuation, Shimsky said of police, although that didn't happen even during the Floyd storm in 1999, the worst to hit the township in recent decades.

Who to call/not call: Residents with life threatening emergencies should call 9-1-1, Shimsky said. Otherwise, "it's going to be a widespread event" so police ask not to be inundated with non-essential calls, he said.

Verizon’s Business Continuity and Emergency Management team announced it has activated its National Emergency Coordination Center to quickly deploy recovery efforts on their networks during emergency situations. Verizon’s wireless and wireline networks include towers, buildings, transmission facilities and vehicles, and the company is preparing for possible flooding, power outages and downed trees and wires from Irene’s aftermath, the company announced on Thursday. 

Residential Verizon customers should contact Verizon at 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966) or online to report any service-related issue. Business customers should contact their regular customer service centers or account teams as needed. 

Verizon Wireless customers can call *611 form their wireless device or 1-800-922-0204 to report any service-related issue, the company said.

Please stay home, police and governor said: "We do ask that if residents do not need to be out during the storm, that they 'shelter in place' in their homes where it is safer," Shimsky said. "It also allows police and other response units to deal with the event more effectively. Residents should also refrain from calling 9-1-1 unless there is an emergency. In the event of a power failure, residents should also be aware that the police department does not have any knowledge of when power will be restored and individuals should not call police to inquire as it overloads our system."

Gov. Christie has asked visitors to stay away from the Jersey Shore as the area undergoes evacuation planning.

For Weather Forecasts: Check the Weather Channel's hurricane tracker, or go here for the National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration's Storm Tracker.

Local Water Levels: Keep an eye on area rivers and streams with the US Geological Survey's Water Flow Monitor.

FEMA preparation website: The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) website with information on planning in advance and living through a hurricane, flooding or other natural disasters is online.

Traveling Conditions: Keep an eye on the Basking Ridge Patch for updates on road or mass transit problems that may arise. We'll be collecting information from area airports, as well as NJ Transit news.