Certain city residents urged to evacuate
Those living near lakes or east of Grand Avenue should leave town, OEM officials say
City residents living east of Grand Avenue and in lower-lying areas around lakes are being urged to evacuate, although the evacuation has not yet been made mandatory, city fire and EMS chief Kevin Keddy said at 4:30 p.m. today.
“I want to stress that this is going to be a bad storm,” Keddy said. “There’s going to be water significantly higher than what we had for Irene.”
Roadways have already started flooding as nearby as Monmouth Beach, Keddy said. And tomorrow night’s full moon and high tide will likely exacerbate flooding conditions, he said.
Keddy and other emergency management officials are urging nonessential businesses like bars and restaurants to close for the day so people will not have a reason to come into town, he said.
City workers drained Wesley and Deal lakes as much as possible yesterday and today, Keddy said. Flumes have been closed again so that the ocean’s high tide does not flood the lake with water. This will not completely prevent the lake from rising during high tide, though, he said.
“If you have a place to go, you should go,” Keddy said.
He recalled the city’s most recent incidence of bad flooding in December 1992, during which water flooded the city’s avenues and Kingsley Street.
“That was 20 years ago so with a lot of the development going on and stormwater runoff, it’s hard to judge what’s going to happen now,” he said.
City officials are meeting this evening to discuss a plan of action. To keep abreast of developments in the city, Keddy said residents can check the Asbury Park Fire Department’s Twitter account, the city website, and the local news media.
Keddy urges city residents to register for the Code Red system, which can be done by clicking here. The system notifies residents of emergency situations.
The Thurgood Marshall School has been open all day with transportation offered to county shelters for residents who wish to evacuate. The county will only accept residents who have been processed through the city’s local center, according to the city website. One of the county’s shelters has been designated pet-friendly.
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated. Click here for an album of photos from the beach front today.
