Mandatory evacuation issued in flood-prone areas
Busses to county shelters to start again at 6 a.m.
The Asbury Park Fire Department has issued a mandatory evacuation for all residents living in flood-prone areas, according to its official website.
The evacuation, issued at 9 p.m., calls for evacuation of residents living near bodies of water; all residents living between Ocean and Grand avenues; and residents living along the Springwood Avenue corridor, including Asbury Park Village and Boston Way.
Those who want to be transported to Monmouth County’s shelters can report to Thurgood Marshall Elementary School at 600 Monroe Ave. tomorrow morning at 6 a.m., fire and EMS chief Kevin Keddy said. Bussing ends at 10 p.m. tonight.
Windy weather tonight could lead to power outages, he said, as well as mild to moderate flooding.
“It’s really going to ramp up starting tomorrow morning and progressively getting worse as the day goes on,” he said.
The forecast calls for winds tomorrow of 50 miles per hour with gusts up to 75 miles per hour. The storm’s center is predicted to make landfall near Atlantic City.
Asbury Park will likely receive three to six inches of rain, but the areas just south are projected to receive 10 inches of rain, Keddy said, which could work its way up to the city.
Power outages could happen for an extended amount of time due to the large geographical area of the storm, Keddy said, with widespread outages keeping crews busy. Power company workers from states west of the Delaware River are mobilizing crews to assist with restoring power after the storm, Keddy said.
From the city fire department’s website:
This is a code red message from the Asbury Park Emergency Management Office.
Evacuation for all residents living in flood prone areas is now mandatory.
These areas include: anyone living in proximity to a body of water, all residents living between Ocean Avenue and Grand Avenue and residents living along the Springwood Avenue corridor (AP Village and Boston Way).
Transportation to County shelters from the reception center at Thurgood Marshall School at 600 Monroe Ave. will end at 10 p.m. tonight and begin again at 6 a.m. tomorrow (Monday) morning.
If you are in the mandatory evacuation area and do not have friends or family to stay with, please get to the reception center as soon as possible. At some point, Hurricane Sandy will make it impossible for busses to transport anyone to the shelters…so, please act as quickly as possible.