Collingswood Under Code Blue Friday Night

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — With temperatures expected to drop into the 20s, Camden County is under a Code Blue Alert Friday night, county officials announced. The Health Officer issued the Code Blue advisory for Camden County effective from 7 p.m. on March 16 until 7 a.m. March 17.

“The evening will be clear but temperatures are expected to drop into the high 20s and low 30s until Saturday afternoon delivers some sunshine. During these extremely frigid conditions, we want everyone to take extra precautions and stay warm,” Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, said. “We also want to continue to emphasize the importance of getting everyone sheltered and out of the elements during these tough cold nights, and to remind everyone to check on elderly relatives and neighbors, and to bring your pets indoors.”

When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

“During these extreme weather conditions, we encourage everyone to check on elderly or handicapped relatives and neighbors that live alone,” Rodriguez said. “It is important that the most vulnerable among us are not left without heat or electricity.”

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans. Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather.

In Collingswood, there are four warming centers:

Collingswood Borough
678 Haddon AvenueCollingswood, NJTel: 856-854-0720 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Collingswood Boro Library
771 Haddon Ave.Collingswood, NJTel: 856-858-0649 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Collingswood Boro Sr. Center
30 W. Collings Ave.Collingswood, NJTel: 856-854-4440 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Collingswood Fire House
20 West Collings Ave.Collingswood, NJTel: 856-854-1043 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com. The After Hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline Phone Number is 833-254-9801.

Residents should report any power outages directly to the appropriate utility provider list below:

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
• Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

Patch file photo