Listen to Experts, not Social Media, When Storms Loom

CREST HAVEN – A panel on “Emergency Preparedness” took place May 31 at the County Administration Building, spearheaded by Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton with the sponsorship of Atlantic City Electric (ACE). 
“June 1 is the official start of hurricane season, and with more than 700,000 residents and visitors in Cape May County during high season, we are vulnerable,” said Thornton. 
“Based on the best science and technology we have access to, we want to get the message out to please, please, do not ignore a warning to evacuate or ignore the decision to do so when it is communicated,” Thornton continued.
“With Hurricane Irene (in 2011) we evacuated over 1,400 elderly residents of nursing homes and assisted living which was the largest number ever in the nation. 
“For some emergencies, we have a few days’ notice such as hurricanes, but there are others, such as a nor’easter when the warning can come very quickly about a water surge.
“Sometimes we are criticized for warning people to evacuate, but if we don’t, and the situation becomes even more dangerous than anticipated we can really be criticized,” he concluded.
Coordinator’s Vantage
Martin Pagliughi, the coordinator of the county’s Office of Emergency Management, stressed that for continued barrier island sustainability, infrastructure and other aspects of “how things look will have to change.”
“For example, there was some complaint about using steel for utility poles, but that makes our power grid safer. Houses are being constructed 14 feet higher, and some people don’t like how that looks but by doing so construction is more protected against flooding,” he continued.
Pagliughi asked those in attendance how many had pets. Nearly every hand went up. 
He then asked who would leave their pet behind in a time of evacuation and not a single hand was raised.
“We’ve done a lot here in the county to ensure that in a time of an emergency people have a safe place where they can evacuate to with their pets.
“Do not leave your pets behind. During Katrina, many pets died that were left behind, but many residents also died because they refused to leave their pets.
“We do not have to have that kind of tragedy here in Cape May County. We stay in constant contact before, during and after emergencies with the Red Cross, state troopers, the governor’s office, the sheriffs and many others so we can keep people and their pets safe.
“Don’t listen to Facebook posts or other social media advice; pay attention to what the experts are telling you to do,” he stressed. 
Utility Company’s Advice
ACE representatives talked about the company’s efforts to make its services more resilient and to have the ability to restore power as quickly as possible when it goes out.
“We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Cape May County over the years,” said Vincent Maione, ACE region president. “We do drills constantly and even include those at the company who work in offices such as IT staff or analysts in the drills because when the power goes out, we need everyone to pitch in.”
“While hurricanes get a lot of attention we do have several days’ notice, but with strong thunderstorms and straight-line storms, which are getting more prevalent these days, frequently the warning is only one hour,” explained Andrew Sykes, ACE emergency management manager.
“We have a number of mutual assistance agreements with other electric companies from Florida to Canada who will help us just as we will help them in the time of an emergency including by sending people to the distressed area,” Sykes continued.
Eye on the Sky
Meteorologist Dan Skeldon talked about the art of weather forecasting. He noted “We always want to promote greater awareness of what to expect but our predicting is not infallible.” We’ve gotten pretty good at forecasting the when of a major hurricane or another storm, but we still need to work on where such a storm will strike which piece of information is what people really want to know,” said Skeldon.
“The last real hurricane this area has seen was in 1903 because Sandy in 2012, for example, was termed a post-tropical storm when it made landfall.
“We are expecting an above-average hurricane system which runs June 1- Nov. 30, and I think the New England area may be due for a few more than they’ve had.
“Of course, a below-average year was predicted in 1992, and that was true, only seven hurricanes were registered, but one of them was Andrew which wreaked unprecedented damage in Florida. So whatever the numbers we need to keep an eye out on the strength of a storm,” he concluded.
Pet Storm Safety
Dr. Meredith Steudle, veterinarian, New Jersey Department of Health, explained how to keep a pet safe during an emergency.
“Always have a ‘go’ bag ready, and know where to find it, for times of emergency. Keep the bag renewed with fresh water and your pet’s medications and identification and vaccination records,” she advised. “The three key words are to plan, prepare and act and then practice with your pet being in a pet carrier or a large animal moving into a trailer for transport because during the stress of an emergency is no time to do it for the first time.”
Eye in the Sky
David Yoel, chief executive officer, American Aerospace Technologies, concluded the program with an explanation of the use of long-distance drones in responding to emergencies. “We are still testing some of these applications such as long range, 10-plus hour flying and risk reduction in high altitudes. But we are very hopeful that drones will help us expand our operational capacity, save lives and keep responders safe.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.