VILLAS – Ed Donohue, coordinator of the Lower Township Office of Emergency Management, outlined the events his office was involved in over the past year in a report to the Township Council on Monday, Nov. 20.
Donohue said Lower Township, along with Middle Township, is operating a warming center during Code Blue events. Lower Township’s warming center is situated at the Seashore Community Church of the Nazarene. The township took responsibility for the warming center in October and is slated to pick up December, February and April, as needed.
He said the township also maintains two shelters in the event of a prolonged power outage or evacuation order. One shelter is at the Millman Center, which is generator-capable, and the other at the recreation center. He stressed that people should shelter in place for brief power outages and should seek to stay with family or friends outside the area when an evacuation occurs.
“Our shelters are considered shelters of last resort,” he said.
The township also works with the county as part of the Hazard Mitigation Program. The Emergency Management Office partners with the Department of Public Works, whose superintendent is the deputy OEM coordinator, the engineer’s office and the Floodplain Management and Community Rating System. The program requires a yearly review of ongoing flood-mitigation projects in the township and updates on future mitigation projects by local, county, state and federal authorities.
Donohue said Lower Township has a Class 7 rating in the Community Rating System, which means flood insurance policy holders qualify for a 15% discount on flood insurance premiums.
The OEM is also involved in the coordination and planning for all large-scale special events in the township, events that require cooperation between police, fire, rescue, public works, recreation, the fire bureau and outside agencies.
Some of the major events include the annual Escape the Cape Triathlon, the July 4 fireworks and vendor event on Shore Drive in North Cape May, the Whale of a Day event in Town Bank, the Veterans Day Parade, the military appreciation event at a Lower Cape May Regional High School football game and the Lower Township Rotary Club Christmas Parade.
The Lower Township OEM is also a member of the Cape May County School Security Planning Group, formed in 2022 to address security concerns and potential incidents at school buildings. Donohue said he works with about 22 school resource officers in the county.
He said the planning includes establishing reunification centers for parents and students following a major incident at a school building. The OEM has also helped develop emergency operation plans for St. John of God Church in North Cape May and St. Raymond’s Church in Villas in case incidents were to occur at those buildings.
The OEM coordinates annual inspections of fire extinguishers, building alarm systems and fire suppression systems in all township facilities.
Donohue said his office has again applied for the $10,000 Emergency Management Agency Assistance Grant, which it does on an annual basis.
He said the local office is required to file a report every two years with the state Office of Emergency Management and conduct an exercise every year. He said the township has enough events to fulfill the exercise requirement with actual events.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
