Code Blue In Haddonfield, Haddon Twp. As Winter Storm Bears Down

Camden County will be under a Code Blue Alert overnight, county officials announced Monday morning. The Code Blue Alert will be in effect from 7 p.m. Monday night through 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.

“Temperatures are forecasted to fall somewhere in the high 20s to low 30s, accompanied by a mix of rain and snow that will continue to fall overnight,” Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, said. “Low temperatures combined with wet and slushy areas may lead to icy patches in some areas, and moderate wind gusts will add to the frigid conditions. During a Code Blue, it’s important for everyone to be sheltered and out the elements, and for pets to remain indoors when possible.”

In some areas, as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow was expected to fall. Read more here: NJ Weather: Timeline, Hour-by-Hour Forecast Of NJ Snowstorm

In addition to the Code Blue declaration, the Camden County Department of Public Works is treating streets and getting ready to clear snow from roadways if necessary.

"Our DPW crews have been checking the plows and loading the salt trucks while continuing to monitor the latest weather forecasts," Camden County Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the DPW, said. "With rain and snow expected to create slippery roadways tonight when temperatures drop, our crews are already hard at work to keep traffic moving throughout the county."

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.

Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality.

In Haddonfield, there is a warming center at Boro Hall, 24 Walnut Street. It is opened 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the phone number is 856-354-8789.

In Haddon Township, there is a warming center at the library, 15 McArthur Boulevard. It is opened 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the phone number is 856-854-2752.

The new after-hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline phone number is 1-800-331-7272. Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.

"Based on the amount of precipitation we have already had over the last 24 hours, anyone on the roadways should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. Always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our plowing operations," Shin Angulo said. "Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways."

At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county's response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

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

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSE&G 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/

Residents are asked to use 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road should call the county's 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to the CCDPW.

With more than 75 percent of households in Camden County owning a cat or a dog, Rodriguez wants to ensure that all pets are safe during these extreme temperatures as well. Here are some cold weather tips from Freeholder Rodriguez to keep your pet safe:

• When the thermometer dips below 32 degrees, keep your pet indoors as much as possible. If your pet must stay outside, provide a warm shelter, raised a few inches off the ground, with the opening facing away from the wind and covered with a burlap or plastic flap. The shelter should be large enough for the animal to stand and turn around, but small enough to retain its body heat.
• If your pet is outdoors for extended periods when temperatures are below freezing (32 degrees), be alert for signs of distress from the cold. Just like in people, shivering is a sign that the body temperature is dropping. If you see your pet shivering, it is probably time to bring it inside. Remember, your pet's body temperature is between 101-102 degrees and its body temperature lowers faster in cold weather.
• A very young, very old pet or a pet with a health problem is more vulnerable to cold.
• An animal with thick fur can tolerate cold longer than a small animal and one with short hair.
• Don't leave your pet in an unheated vehicle for extended periods of time.
• Make sure your pet has clean unfrozen drinking water. Do not let your pet drink from puddles where there may be deadly antifreeze or other harmful chemicals.
• A pet can pick up rock salt, ice and other melting chemicals in their foot pads. This can harm your pet. Massaging petroleum jelly into paw pads before going outside helps to protect from salt and chemical agents. Moisturizing after a good toweling off helps to heal chapped paws. Wipe your pet's feet with a damp cloth when it comes inside to protect its pads from damage. If this is a problem for your pet, there are boots available in all sizes. Your dog can get used to wearing the boots indoors for short periods of time. Not all dogs take to them.
• If there are outside cats in the neighborhood, knock on the hood of your vehicle and look under it before starting your engine and driving off. Cats sometimes curl up next to or under warm engines when they are left out in the cold.
• Antifreeze has an attractive scent and taste for animals and is extremely poisonous! Be especially vigilant about the ingestion of antifreeze. The first sign of antifreeze poisoning is a pet that appears drunk. Immediately get your pet to the vet if you suspect it has ingested antifreeze as it can be fatal within four to eight hours of ingestion.

The weather forecast for the next few days in Camden County is as follows, according to the National Weather Service:

Today
Rain, snow, and sleet likely before 11am, then rain and snow between 11am and noon, then snow after noon. High near 38. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

Tonight
Snow, mainly before 1am. Low around 31. Northwest wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph.

Tuesday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 31. West wind 3 to 8 mph.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. West wind 5 to 8 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.

Thursday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 45.

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 47.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 28.

Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 48.

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• Electric Heated Throw Blanket
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• Insulated Snow Boots
• Amazon's Best-Selling Windshield Scraper
• Sleek Door Draft Stopper