COURT HOUSE – With much of New Jersey, including Cape May County, under a drought warning designation and hurricane season now underway, seasonal and year-round residents are being encouraged to “stay informed and be prepared” by the county Office of Emergency Management.

Recent wildfires in Ocean County and subsequent closing of parts of the Garden State Expressway, a main evacuation route, raise the question, “Is Cape May County prepared for … ?”

According to Christopher Leusner, the county’s OEM coordinator, the county regularly practices response and recovery, and mitigation plans are constantly reviewed to eliminate or reduce any potential exposures.

“I am confident that we have the plans in place if we had an emergency,” Leusner said. “There may be some challenges because we know nothing goes perfectly, but I am confident with our emergency response plans.”

His confidence stems from the hands-on rehearsals and table-top exercises the OEM office participates in with many other county agencies. Leusner mentioned drills evacuating assisted living homes, an active shooter incident with the Delaware River and Bay Authority, power outages with Atlantic City Electric, missing child or mass casualty events with the county Prosecutor’s Office and other emergency services agencies, and storm evacuation with multiple agencies, including fire and mutual aid groups.

While the OEM office can practice and be prepared, responsibility also lies with residents and visitors to heed warnings when they are issued, Leusner said.

“My main advice to both seasonal and year-round residents is to stay informed and be prepared,” he said. “Everyone should sign up for local emergency alerts, know their evacuation routes and have a basic emergency ‘go bag’ ready with water, food, medications, important documents and supplies for pets if needed.

“Don’t wait for a storm warning, make a plan for your family now and know how to secure your home. Whether you live here year-round or just for the season, being ready and staying connected to official updates is the best way to stay safe during hurricane season or any emergency.”

Most communities use Nixel or Code Red to alert subscribers to emergencies, and Leusner suggested residents and visitors check out their community’s website to find which is used where they are located.

He said identifying areas within Cape May County that are more vulnerable helps guide OEM’s planning. As part of the planning process, officials look at evacuation routes, staffing required to help direct detours, and when to engage other agencies.

“Depending on where the event happens will determine what roads need to be closed and traffic redirected,” he said. “Depending on the time of year, our staffing level needs could be significant.”

Traffic and population in the county vary widely, depending on the time of year. According to the county’s 2024 Tourism Economic Impact Book, there are more than 94,000 year-round residents. The population swells to nearly 764,000 during the summer. The number of cars going through the Cape May toll both on the Garden State Parkway varied from a high in July 2023 of 853,120 to a low of 291,340 in February 2023, according to the Impact Book.

“We would do the best we can with the information available at the time, and we still might get congestion on the roadways,” Leusner said. “We might have to reroute drivers to Route 50, Route 47 or on and off the Parkway, depending on where the incident is.”

In addition, who is in charge – whether it’s local, county or state officials – depends on the type of emergency.

About half of the 183,000 acres in the county are forested, according to Leusner, and county officials have worked with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to identify all high-risk areas and structures in those areas.

For example, Belleplain State Forest, on the Cape May – Cumberland County border, covers 21,000 acres of pineland. The county zoo comprises 128 wooded acres and includes multiple structures. Maps are broken down according to risk levels, and plans are reviewed and updated as needed, at least every two years.

Wayne Matthews, county fire coordinator, said part of the county’s emergency planning includes the identification of potential hazards, staging areas, water sources and aircraft landing zones.

“If it’s a structure fire, we engage our mutual aid plan if needed,” Matthews saidd. “If a fire starts as a vegetation fire, then the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has the command, and we’d support them.”

That’s what happened when an improperly extinguished bonfire allegedly set by a Waretown man burned more than 15,000 acres of pinelands in Ocean County in April. The Marmora, Dennis, Ocean View and Woodbine Volunteer Fire Departments responded to the fire as part of Strike Team 19.

A strike team, according to Matthews, is a group of three to seven engines with similar resources or a mix of resources that are called on to attack a fire. The makeup of the strike team depends on the type of fire and what’s needed to fight it.

“We are fairly spread out in the county,” Matthews said, “with many natural fire breaks, such as creeks and marshes. Ocean County had a regionalized evacuation, not a countywide evacuation, during the recent fire. Depending on the event we were experiencing, we would call in the fire, police and other resources we needed to help with traffic detours, man evacuation centers, and do whatever is needed.”

In addition to preparing before or during an event, the OEM office plans for the recovery afterward. Locations are identified for places where residents would be able to get help, depending on the type of incident. Recovery plans are often tested as part of regular table-top exercises.

Mitigation plans are also part of OEM’s responsibility, and Leusner said officials are working on updating a plan identifying flood-prone areas now.

The National Weather Service has renewed Cape May County’s StormReady designation covering all 16 municipalities through March 3, 2029. The StormReady program helps communities develop plans to handle severe weather events and enhance their resilience.

Cape May County has met rigorous criteria in six key areas: communications, National Weather Service information reception, weather and water monitoring systems, local warning dissemination, community preparedness and administrative tools/recordkeeping.

Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.