7/3/2012 - Storms Hit Cumberland County

STORMS HIT CUMBERLAND COUNTY THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER, CLEAN UP UNDERWAY

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, NJ – Storms hit Cumberland County just after midnight Friday night leaving tens of thousands of Cumberland County residents without power. The thunderstorms created lots of lightning, heavy downpours, and strong winds that blew down utility poles and trees all across the region. The storms hit with little or no warning and left broken utility poles and trees, downed power lines and debris blocking driveways, streets, and roads, making travel almost impossible in some areas. Traffic signal lights and street lights were left unpowered and inoperable. Also, many businesses and private homes were left without power and inaccessible due to debris from the storm.

More than 23,000 Cumberland County Residents are still without power. Just in the City of Vineland, more than 35 utility poles were blown down or in need of repair. Some residents are without water and many don’t have telephone service, cable TV or internet service either. Unlike the localized storms that hit in the western side of the county last Friday evening, the storms that hit last night covered a lot more of the county and left a lot more residents without power. There’s also a lot more debris that needs to be cleared and power wires that need repairs, before things will be back to normal.

With temperatures rising and humidity high, residents without power were beginning to feel the heat. The American Red Cross opened two cooling centers today where residents could go to get a break from the heat. The cooling centers: Pittsgrove Municipal Building located at #989 Centerton Road, Elmer (856) 358-2300, and Thomas Wallace School located at #688 N. Main Road, Vineland (856) 362-8887 were open from noon to 8pm today.

“It’s unfortunate to have two damaging storms so close together that cased so many downed wires and power outages, but the Cumberland County Dept. of Public Works is already hard at work cutting up trees and clearing debris from roadways to help get thing back to normal”, said Freeholder Director Carl Kirstein.

What follows are the Road Closures for Cumberland County…

1) Marlboro Road Between Jericho & Cook Road
2) Jericho Road Between Cook & Roadstown
3) Macanipuck Road Between Buckhorn & Roadstown
4) Buckhorn Road Between Macanipuck & Lower Alloway Creek Twp. Line
5) Route 77 Between Hoover & Big Oak
6) Silver Lake Road Between Holding & DuBoise
7) Old Deerfield Pike Between Finley & Silver Lake
8) Brewster Road Between Oak & Landis
9) Route 553 Between Route 49 & Buckshutem Road
10) Irving Avenue Between Rogers & Sugarman Avenue
11) East Point Road