CREST HAVEN — What happens to those with special needs during a hurricane or other disaster? How do first responders or emergency teams locate people living in the community who need assistance because they use a wheelchair, or they have Alzheimer’s Disease, or a mental or physical disability, if an event of catastrophic proportion occurs and an evacuation is required?
These are questions that local and state officials along with service providers came together to discuss June 27 during the New Jersey Disaster Preparedness Cape May County Special Needs Population Registry Kickoff.
This Kickoff event is one of the earliest steps, said organizers, toward the ultimate goal of having every person with special needs registered, so that if necessary, first responders and others will quickly be able to help save lives during an evacuation. No registry is available yet. The goal of the conference was to begin gathering information from those who work closely with persons with special needs, and to analyze the best way to achieve the goal of reaching and helping those in need to register.
The event brought together private and public officials from various agencies, including: New Jersey State Police, ARC of Cape May County, Cape May County Office of Disabilities Services and Jersey Cape Diagnostic Center, Cape May County Office of Education, County Department of Health, City of Cape May, Ocean City Police Department Office of Emergency Management (OEM), City of Ocean City, Fare Free Transportation, Community Health Planning, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, North Wildwood Police, County Office of Consumer Affairs, County Department of Tourism, Township of Dennis, Atlantic Electric, Sea Isle City Police, County Clerk’s Office, Upper Township OEM, NJ State Police OEM, Wild-wood Crest Police, Department of Aging, County Board of Social Services, South Jersey Legal Services, Cape Counseling, Stone Harbor Council, Stone Harbor Clerk’s Office, County Office of Human Services, County Communications Office, County Freeholders, including Ralph Sheets, who oversees emergency management for the county, and Frank McCall County Emergency Management Communications Center Director, among others.
Cape May County will be one of four counties in the state to serve as a model for how best to gather information and maintain an active registry of people in the New Jersey communities who would require special assistance to evacuate.
(For more information, see story in next week’s July 4 issue of the Herald.)
Contact Avedissian at (609) 886-8600 Ext 27 or at: savedissian@cmcherald.com.
Dennisville – As a parent of a Tech student it would be great if the school would update their staff directory. So many old staff still listed and no new teachers listed. What gives?
