Hurricanes

You can take steps to minimize the loss of life or property during a hurricane. Remember, if a hurricane occurs, emergency responders may not be able to immediately reach you. You should be prepared to be self-sustaining for at least three days.

First thing is that we want you to get on social media if not already (City of South Amboy web page or Facebook). Be sure to sign up on Nixle to receive alerts and notifications from SAPD and OEM www.nixle.com  also sign up for alerts from the State of New Jersey www.njalert.gov.

Know the special danger from hurricanes and tropical storms

Tropical storm winds which can have wind speeds of 39-73mph

Hurricane winds can reach 74-95mph for a category 1 storm to a category 5 storm which will have winds above 155mph.

Storm surge is a dome of water 50-100 miles wide and as high as 25ft high that is pushed ahead of the storm. It devastates coastal communities as it sweeps ashore.

Before a Hurricane

• Have a hurricane plan and ensure everyone in the household knows the plan.
• Know your evacuation route.
• Have an emergency supplies kit prepared, to include at least: three days' drinking water (two quarts per person per day);  non-perishable food; flashlight with extra batteries; portable battery-operated radio; first-aid kit; non-electric can opener; essential medicines; cash and credit cards.
• Make arrangements for pets. Pets are not allowed in official shelters.
• Protect your home by covering windows with permanent shutters, plywood panels or other shielding materials.  Bring in lawn furniture and other loose objects, such as garbage cans, that may become a hazard during high winds.
• Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well-trimmed.
• Clear loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
• Determine how and where to secure your boat.
• Fuel up and service family vehicles.

If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should:

• Listen to the radio or watch TV for information.
• Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
• Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
• Turn off propane tanks.
• Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
• Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.

You should evacuate under the following conditions:

• If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.
• If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well-fastened to the ground.
• If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
• If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
• If you feel you are in danger.                    

Evacuate/Shelter in Place

If you are told to evacuate that means to leave your home or workplace and follow an Evacuation route if one to a safe shelter. You should know where you’re local shelter and its phone number (732) 525-5961. Emergency Management Officials will use radio/TV broadcast & the Local Emergency alert system which includes Nixle and reverse 911.

During a Hurricane
 
If you are unable to evacuate, you should:

• Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.
• Close all interior doors-secure and brace external doors.
• Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm - winds will pick up again.
• Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway.
• Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.
• Be alert. Tornadoes are frequently spawned during hurricanes.

After a Hurricane

• Wait until an area is declared safe before re-entering.
• Do not drive in flooded areas.
• Avoid using candles or other open flames indoors. Use a flashlight to inspect damage.
• Check gas, water, electrical lines and appliances for damage.
• Avoid any loose or down power lines and report them to your power company.
• Avoid drinking or preparing food with tap water until local officials have declared it safe to drink.

All of the above topics and many more topics can be found on the following sites New Jersey Office of Emergency Management web page www.ready.nj.gov. Red Cross www.redcross.org.

The Office of Emergency Management for the City of South Amboy has a form in place in conjunction with the County of Middlesex Emergency Management. It’s called Special Needs Form which can be picked up @ the Senior Citizen Resource Center. This will help the Local OEM and County OEM during an evacuation.

Tornado

Know Your Risk

• Know your area’s tornado risk. In the U.S., the Midwest and the Southeast have a greater risk for tornadoes.
• Know the signs of a tornado, including a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud, an approaching cloud of debris, or a loud roar like a freight train.
• Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and NOAA Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. If your community has sirens, then become familiar with the warning tone.
• Pay attention to weather reports. Meteorologists can predict when conditions might be right for a tornado.
• Identify and practice going to a safe shelter such as a safe room built using FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building.
• Plan for your pet. They are an important member of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s emergency plan.
• Prepare for long-term stay at home or sheltering in place by gathering emergency supplies, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods, water, medical supplies and medication.

Staying Safe During a Tornado

• Immediately go to a safe location that you have identified.
• Pay attention to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions.
• Protect yourself by covering your head or neck with your arms and putting materials such as furniture and blankets around or on top of you.
• In a car or truck: There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones.
  ◦ If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado.
  ◦ If you are caught by extreme winds or flying debris, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes.
  ◦ Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat, or other cushion if possible.
  ◦ If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands. 
  ◦ Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.

Staying Safe After a Tornado

• Save your phone calls for emergencies and use text messaging or social media to communicate with family and friends.
• Pay attention to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio, and local authorities for updated information.
• Stay clear of fallen power lines or broken utility lines.
• Contact your healthcare provider if you are sick and need medical attention. Wait for further care instructions and continue to shelter in place.
• Wear appropriate gear during clean-up such as thick-soled shoes, long pants, and work gloves, use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris.
   

Prepare for Thunderstorms & Lightning

Know Your Risk
Know your area’s risk for thunderstorms. In most places they can occur year-round and at any hour. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.

Strengthen Your Home
Cut down or trim trees that may be in danger of falling on your home. Consider buying surge protectors, lightning rods or a lightning protection system to protect your home, appliances and electronic devices.

Make an Emergency Plan
Create an emergency plan so that you and your family know what to do, where to go and what you will need to protect yourselves from the effects of a thunderstorm. Identify sturdy buildings close to where you live, work, study and play. 

Stay Safe During Thunderstorms & Lightning

If you are under a thunderstorm warning:

• When thunder roars, go indoors! Move from outdoors into a building or car with a roof. 
• Pay attention to alerts and warnings. 
• Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet. 
• Avoid running water. 
• Turn Around. Don’t Drown! Do not drive through flooded roadways. Just six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.

Stay Safe After Thunderstorms & Lightnin 

• Pay attention to authorities and weather forecasts for information on whether it is safe to go outside and instructions regarding potential flash flooding. 
• Watch for fallen power lines and trees. Report them immediately. 

American Red Cross THUNDERSTORM Safety Checklist 

Floods

Know Your Risk
Visit FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to know types of flood risk in your area. However, remember that flooding doesn’t follow lines on a map. Where it can rain it can flood. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. The National Risk Index is an easy-to-use, interactive tool that shows which communities are most at risk to natural hazards like flooding.

Purchase Flood Insurance
Purchase or renew a flood insurance policy. Homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover flooding. It typically takes up to 30 days for a policy to go into effect so the time to buy is well before a disaster. Get flood coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Preparing for a Flood
Make a plan for your household, including your pets, so that you and your family know what to do, where to go, and what you will need to protect yourselves from flooding. Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter plans, and flash flood response. Gather supplies, including non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case you must leave immediately or if services are cut off in your area.

In Case of Emergency
Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Create password-protected digital copies. Protect your property. Move valuables to higher levels. Declutter drains and gutters. Install check valves. Consider a sump pump with a battery.

Staying Safe During a Flood

• Evacuate immediately, if told to evacuate. Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas.
• Contact your healthcare provider If you are sick and need medical attention. Wait for further care instructions and shelter in place, if possible. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.
• Listen to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions regarding flooding.
• Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around. Don’t Drown!
• Stay off bridges over fast-moving water. Fast-moving water can wash bridges away without warning.
• Stay inside your car if it is trapped in rapidly moving water. Get on the roof if water is rising inside the car.
• Get to the highest level if trapped in a building. Only get on the roof if necessary and once there signal for help. Do not climb into a closed attic to avoid getting trapped by rising floodwater.

Staying Safe After a Flood

• Pay attention to authorities for information and instructions. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
• Avoid driving except in emergencies.
• Wear heavy work gloves, protective clothing and boots during clean up and use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris. 
• People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled. Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.
• Be aware that snakes and other animals may be in your house.
• Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock if it is safe to do so.
• Avoid wading in floodwater, which can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.
• Use a generator or other gasoline-powered machinery ONLY outdoors and away from windows.

Fire

To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire. Fire spreads quickly; there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.

Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. Inhaling the super-hot air can sear your lungs. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. Instead of being awakened by a fire, you may fall into a deeper sleep. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths.

Cooking Safely

• Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
• Stay in the home while simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food. Check it regularly and use a timer to remind you   that food is cooking.
• Keep anything that can catch fire—like pot holders, towels, plastic and clothing—away from the stove.
• Keep pets off cooking surfaces and countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.

Caution: Carbon Monoxide Kills

• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partially enclosed area.

Before a Fire

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your residence.
• Place smoke alarms outside bedrooms on the ceiling or high on the wall (4 to 12 inches from ceiling), at the top of open stairways, or at the bottom of enclosed stairs and near (but not in) the kitchen.
• Test and clean smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries at least once a year.
• Review escape routes with your family and where to meet outside of the house. Practice escaping from each room in the house.
• Consider escape ladders if your residence has more than one level.
• Teach family members to stay low on the floor (where the air is safer in a fire) when escaping from a fire.
• Store flammable liquids in approved containers in well-ventilated storage areas. Do not smoke near flammable liquids.
• Sleep with your door closed.
• Install fire A-B-C type fire extinguishers in your residence and teach family members how to use them.

During a Fire

• If escaping from a fire, check closed doors for heat before you open them with the back of your hand. Do not open a hot door; escape through a window. If you cannot escape, hang a white or light-coloured sheet outside the window to alert emergency responders to your presence.
• If your clothes catch on fire, you should Stop, Drop, and Roll until the fire is extinguished. Running will only make the fire burn faster.
• Close doors behind you as you escape to delay the spread of the fire.

After a Fire

• If you are with burn victims, or are a burn victim yourself, call 9-1-1; cool and cover burns to reduce chance of further injury or infection.
• If you detect heat or smoke when entering a damaged building, evacuate immediately.
• If you are a tenant, contact the landlord.
• If you have a safe or strong box, do not try to open it. It can hold intense heat for several hours. If the door is opened before the box has cooled, the contents could burst into flames.
• If you must leave your home because a building inspector says the building is unsafe, ask someone you trust to watch the property during your absence.

Severe Winter Weather

Winter Storm

Winter storms can range from a moderate snow over a few hours to a blizzard with blinding, wind-driven snow that lasts for several days. Some winter storms are large enough to affect several states, while others affect only a single community. Many winter storms are accompanied by dangerously low temperatures and sometimes by strong winds, icing, sleet and freezing rain.

Regardless of the severity of a winter storm, you should be prepared in order to remain safe during these events.

Winter Weather: Know the Terms

• Winter Storm Watch: A winter storm is possible in your area. Tune in to your NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio or television for more information.
• Winter Storm Warning: A winter storm is occurring or will soon occur in your area.
• Freezing Rain: Rain that freezes when it hits the ground, creating a coating of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines.
• Sleet: Rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes moisture on roads to freeze and become slippery.
• Frost/Freeze Warning: Below freezing temperatures are expected.

Before a Winter Storm

• Add winter supplies like rock salt to melt ice and shovels to your disaster supply kit.
• Prepare for possible isolation in your home by having sufficient heating fuel; regular fuel sources may be cut off.
• Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing.
• Learn how to shut off water valves in case a pipe bursts.
• Have your vehicle serviced to ensure it is prepared for the winter season.
• Medications (7-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, etc.)
• Place a winter emergency kit in every vehicle that includes: a shovel; windshield scraper and small broom; flashlight; battery-powered radio; extra batteries; water; snack food; matches; extra hats, socks and mittens; first aid kit with pocket knife; necessary medications; blankets; tow chain or rope; road salt and sand; booster cables; emergency flares; fluorescent distress flag.
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)

During a Winter Storm

• Stay indoors. If you must go outside, dress in layers of loose fitting, lightweight clothing. Wear a hat that covers your ears. Wear mittens and cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs. Wear waterproof, insulated boots to keep your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
• Avoid overexertion when shoveling snow. Overexertion can bring on a heart attack—a major cause of death in the winter. If you must shovel snow, stretch before going outside.
• Keep dry. Change wet clothing frequently to prevent a loss of body heat. Wet clothing loses all of its insulating value and transmits heat rapidly.
• Watch for signs of frostbite such as the loss of feeling and white or pale appearance in extremities such as finger, toes, ear lobes and the tip of your nose.
• Drive only if it is absolutely necessary. If you must drive, travel in the day, don’t travel alone and keep others informed of your schedule. Decrease your speed and leave plenty of room to stop the vehicle on icy roads.
• If trapped in your car during a blizzard, pull off of the highway and turn on your hazard lights. Remain in your vehicle where rescuers are most likely to find you. Run the engine and heater about 10 minutes each hour to keep warm. When the engine is running, open a downwind window slightly for ventilation and periodically clear snow from the exhaust pipe. This will protect you from possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Exercise to maintain body heat, but avoid overexertion. Drink fluids to avoid dehydration.

After a Winter Storm

• Listen to your local radio or television station for the latest weather and traffic reports.
• Go to a designated shelter if your home loses power or heat during periods of extreme cold.
• Check on your animals and ensure that their access to food and water is not blocked by snow drifts, ice or other obstacles. Bring them indoors, if possible.
• Be aware of possible carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire if using alternative sources for electricity, heating or cooking.

Caution: Carbon Monoxide Kills

• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partially enclosed area. Locate unit away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• The primary hazards to avoid when using alternate sources for electricity, heating or cooking are carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open windw or door.
• Call for help from the fresh air location and remain there until emergency personnel arrive to assist you.