Monmouth County Crews Responding to Downed Trees

Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering crews began responding to reports of downed trees at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to a press release issued by the county. Emergency personnel will be monitoring the effects of Hurricane Irene overnight, the release said.

“We are expecting Hurricane Irene to impact the county for at least the next 12 hours,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said in the release. “We are hoping that residents have heeded warnings and evacuations and are prepared for the possibility of high winds, power outages and flooding.”

Acting Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Director Michael Oppegaard said residents should monitor local news services for the latest information on the hurricane.

Monmouth County OEM issued the following reminders to residents on staying safe during the storm:

• Do not go outside. Flying debris from high winds is a danger. As the eye of the storm passes, there will be a short period of calm followed by rapid wind speed increases to hurricane force that will come from the opposite direction.
• Avoid using candles for lighting. Use a battery-powered flashlight.
• Never use a candle when fueling equipment such as a kerosene heater or lantern, since the candle flame can ignite fumes from the fuel.
• Try to stay in an interior room away from windows.
• If flooding occurs, turn off electricity at the main breaker.
• If your power goes out, turn off your major appliances. This will minimize losing power again through a power surge and protect the equipment when power returns.
• Stay calm and do not call 9-1-1 unless it is an emergency.