Gloucester Township Police Department Update on June 23, 2015 Storm Damage | CNBNews
Sunday, June 28, 2015
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP NJ (June 28, 015)--The Gloucester Township Police Department released the following summary today about last week's storm.
The storm on Tuesday, June 23, left significant damage throughout Gloucester Township. There has been a lot of progress, but much work remains to be done, and as a community we will move forward. The Gloucester Township Police Department is committed to working with its residents in making a safe recovery. It has been said many times by emergency responders, who noted the constant patience, support, and cooperation from the community, that Gloucester Township is resilient and together will all get through this recovery.
Within the first 12 hours of the storm the GTPD was inundated with calls and responded to approximately 298 storm related incidents. The Police Operations Center was quickly opened on Tuesday evening as the storm struck to collaborate the township resources and response. Our officers consistently worked 16 hour or more shifts through the storm and many days after. Many police officers and emergency responders, like our residents having storm damages and power loss to their own homes, worked to not put themselves first. To help keep the township safe, officers have been actively deployed in high visibility marked patrols to various neighborhoods during power outages to help deter the potential for crime and thefts.
Township responders during this weather event consisted of those with the Gloucester Township Police Department, GT Fire Departments, GT Office of Emergency Management, GT Emergency Medical Services, GT Department of Public Works, GT Municipal Utilities Authority, and GT Building Inspectors. In the first 24 hours of this storm there were a total of 412 reported calls for service that consisted of the following weather related incidents: 21 motor vehicle crashes, 39 traffic complaints/hazards, 17 traffic posts (intersections without power or blocked), 3 motorist assists, 143 utility problems, 59 alarms, 26 medical assists, 20 other investigations, 14 fire responses, 8 welfare checks, and 6 assist fire/police.
In the effort to keep residents informed the GTPD was providing emergency information updates delivered by our Community Notification System via Nixle. Some examples of information provided were traffic safety reminders at intersections, the opening of cooling and charging stations, availability of ice and water, cancellation of GT programs, a spoiled food disposal location, and the use of the township pool by residents through the weekend. The GTPD wants to encourage our residents not already signed up to receive important community information. In this age of instant communication, the Gloucester Township Police Department / GTOEM must be able to reach residents instantly with road closures, safety warnings, community safety bulletins, community events, and media release information. The Community Notification System will give the GTPD the ability to notify thousands of residents, staff members, and volunteers within minutes by sending out automated voice messages, text messages and emails instantly. These recent events help prove the need for such a notification system to reach our community. To register please visit https://local.nixle.com/register
Clean up will continue as the Gloucester Township MUA and Public Works has been picking up brush and wood debris throughout the township. Residents are asked to place any debris curbside in the street in a manner not to block traffic.
Address/Location
Gloucester Township Police Department
1261 Chews Landing Road
Clementon, NJ 08021
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 856-228-4500