Cherry Hill cleans up after Irene
By MELISSA DIPENTO
The Cherry Hill Sun
9/7/2011

Hurricane Irene made her presence known in South Jersey during the last weekend in August, dumping nearly six inches of rainfall on the region, taking down trees and power lines, as well as flooding many area roadways.

At noon on Monday, Aug. 29, PSE&G reported about 200,000 New Jersey residents were still without power. Later that afternoon, about 90 percent of township residents had power. Throughout the storm, about 40 to 50 percent of township residents were without power for a period of time, township spokesman Dan Keashen said.

Cherry Hill also reported numerous local roads that were impacted by downed wires and trees. During the storm, Route 70, 38 and Haddonfield-Berlin Rd. were closed at times due to flooding. Residential streets were also impacted, as well. All major roads in the township were re-opened soon after the storm.

Prior to the event, the township handed out sandbags to residents at the two Cherry Hill high schools – 2,000 in total.

Saturday evening, the township told residents through its Facebook and Twitter pages that the Community Center at 820 Mercer St. and Cherry Hill High School East were places residents could use as a last resort for shelter. The shelters didn’t see much activity, but were open for residents to utilize.

Keashen said public safety officials and the Office of Emergency Management were happy most residents heeded the call to stay in during the storm. The township did respond to one incident of a motorist driving into a body of water.

Early Sunday morning, the Evans Mill Dam along the Cooper River rose about three feet above the flood water level. Around 6 a.m., a Camden County engineer surveyed the dam. The township then enacted a voluntary evacuation of the area. Around 9 a.m., officials reported that the dam had reached a safe level.

Throughout the storm, the township also received calls for close to 100 downed trees. About 60 or so were deemed hazardous. The 60, which blocked streets and sidewalks, had been mostly cleared off of the roadways shortly after the storm passed.

DPW had all of the trees and downed wires cleared up the next day.

In light of what was left in the aftermath of the storm, Mayor Bernie Platt announced a special program last week to help residents with the cleanup.

Residents can schedule a debris pickup until Sept. 16 with the Department of Public Works. Residents can place branches and natural debris at the curb for DPW workers to collect.

“In Hurricane Irene’s wake, many of our residents are now faced with a daunting amount of cleanup, both inside and outside their homes,” Platt said. “By implementing this temporary policy change, it is my hope that we can ease the burden placed on those now stuck digging out from this storm.”

Residents can call DPW at 424-4422 or the mayor’s office at 488-7878. Township officials are requesting residents to register for this service by Sept. 14.

Throughout the storm, township officials also provided up-to-the-minute updates on its social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. The township also utilized its website, email notifications and two TV channels to get the word out.

The mayor’s office was also open from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, with DPW available until the early evening on Sunday.

“We tried to stay as active as possible. We were working hard to field questions. (Social media) provided an excellent vehicle for us,” Keashen said.

Moving forward, the township will continue to use its Twitter site (@cherryhilltwp) as the primary way to keep residents in the know about serious weather conditions. Officials will also continue using the website, Facebook page, email notifications and the TV stations, as well. About 500 people registered for the email notifications just prior to and during the storm, Keashen added.