South Orange OEM Preparedness update for Hurricane Sandy.

1. TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH ORANGE VILLAGE
Office of Emergency Management
Hurricane Sandy Preparedness Information
Friday, October 25th 5:30pm
The Township of South Orange Village is advising its residents and visitors of the
anticipated impacts of Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to affect New Jersey
beginning Monday and continuing through Tuesday. High winds and severe flooding
may result in several street closings, fallen trees, downed electrical lines, power
outages and property damage.
The Office of Emergency Management declared that an emergency exists in South
Orange as of 3:00 pm Friday, the 25th. Meetings and conference calls have been held
with key Village officials, members of the LEPC (Local Emergency Planning
Committee), Essex County OEM and PSE&G.
The Department of Public Works has commenced preparatory work in advance of the
storm, including clearing catch basins and drains and beginning leaf removal this
weekend. The Police and Fire Departments, as well as the South Orange Rescue
Squad, are implementing the emergency operations plans, including strategic vehicle
and equipment deployment and supplemental staffing as necessary.
The Village has been meeting to review storm preparations, plan community and
communications outreach and finalize execution of standing operations, adjusted for
the realities of this particular storm.
Through the duration of this storm and after, the Village will communicate to
residents and visitors through our Emergency Notification System (which community
members can sign up for at: http://bit.ly/SouthOrangeAlerts), our website, Twitter
account (http://twitter.com/SouthOrangeNJ), local media and mass email. Known
high risk populations are being contacted directly. If you know someone who has
special needs or is at high risk please contact the SOPD at 973 763 3000.
In the event of significant flooding or other conditions that render homes
uninhabitable, we have prepared for opening our shelter at the South Orange Library
at 65 Scotland Road. In the event of excess demand, alternate shelter site
arrangements have been made with Seton Hall University. If and when the decision
to open the shelter is made additional details will be available on the Village website
and communicated through all available channels.
Residents do not need evacuate their homes at this point, unless special medical or
at-risk conditions exist. Residents are advised to take precautions as identified below:
• Have plenty of fresh water at your disposal
• Have all cell phones fully charged
• Have all emergency and contact numbers available
• Have working flashlights with fresh batteries available
• Inform friends or relatives of your whereabouts
South Orange Office of Emergency Management | 101 S. Orange Ave | 973 378 7715 | southorange.org

2. • Stay inside your home away from all windows, which should be shut and
shuttered, if possible
• Store inside or securely tie down all lawn furniture, or other loose outside items
• Remove propane tanks from outdoor grills and place in a secure location away
from where flooding could occur
• Avoid all contact with any downed or sagging wires, and be mindful of
standing water surrounding a downed or sagging power wire. Immediately call
9-1-1 to report downed power lines.
All power outages should be reported directly to PSE&G at (800) 436-7734. This is
the fastest way to ensure that your outage is recorded by PSE&G and placed on the
schedule for response and restoration.
Check-in on the status of the storm at the above mentioned resources and ensure
you are signed up to receive emergency notifications to get the quickest alerts on
what’s happening. You can also sign up (for free) to Nixle alerts at: https://
local.nixle.com/register/
Primary Shelter, if opened: SO Public Library, 65 Scotland Road.
Local Resources:
• South Orange Public Library: 65 Scotland Rd.
• South Orange Police, Fire or Medical emergency: 9-1-1
• South Orange Police (non-emergency) & EOC: 973-763-3000
PSE&G: 1-800-436-7734
Web resources:
• http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/
• http://www.fema.gov/
• http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/psa.asp
South Orange Office of Emergency Management | 101 S. Orange Ave | 973 378 7715 | southorange.org