County Prepares For Second Consecutive Day Battling Winter Storm

After a brief respite, the Camden County Department of Public Works is preparing to return to the streets to battle more winter weather.

Over the last 19 hours, 100 employees and 70 pieces of equipment were deployed to battle a nor’easter that battered the area, leaving over a foot of snow in Pennsauken and nearly a foot in Cherry Hill and Camden.

With more snow in the forecast for Thursday night, crews are set to return to the 12 winter maintenance districts to clear 400 miles of county roadways.

“This storm event will be a 72-hour operation. We are tracking the next wave of heavy snow coming our way that is currently affecting North Carolina,” Freeholder Ian Leonard, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works, said. “Our plows have gotten most roads down to asphalt and we are prepared to tackle the next wave of this storm into tomorrow.”

Icing remains a concern as precipitation reaches the cold ground, Leonard said.

Moderate to heavy snowfall  is expected beginning in the late evening and lasting into the night, with additional accumulation of 2 to 5 inches expected. Overnight lows are expected to dip below freezing and wind gusts up to 35 miles an hour are expected into Friday morning.

“I’m requesting that all residents stay off the roads to give our plows the ability to effectively do their job and get snow away from the traveling lanes,” Leonard said. “Extra vehicles on the highway system will congest and slow down our plowing operation. Also, please move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations.”

The Camden County Office of Emergency Operations Center was activated at 7 a.m. on Thursday, and will remain operational through Friday morning, Leonard said.

No power outages are being reported in the county. In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, residents are asked to immediately call your utility company so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore your power.  Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

 *   PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
 *   PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
 *   Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476
 *   Atlantic City Electric website: http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
 *   South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
 *   South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/