Summer 2022 – Heat and Hurricanes

Be Ready | Be Prepared

It’s summertime and the living is easy, or maybe not…  While summertime brings to mind the good times of family gatherings and outdoor fun, we also need to exercise some caution during the season.  Last week we wrote about two backyard pests that pose threats to our comfort and health, mosquitoes and ticks.  This week we urge everyone to enjoy the season, but to be prepared for two of the summer’s biggest threats, extreme heat and hurricanes. 

Before you do anything else, sign up for Alerts from Ewing Township!

Swift911The first step to your emergency preparedness is to sign up for alerts and warnings published by the Township and other agencies to stay abreast of emergencies happening locally.   Ewing Township publishes warnings via the Switft911 Notification System, also known as the “Mayor’s Messages.”  Sign up now to ensure that you receive these critical Ewing-centric notifications as they are published. 

The Swift911™ Community Notification System will keep you up to date about both emergency and non-emergency situations.  Receive a phone call, email or text about floods, fires, water emergencies, road closures, missing persons, evacuation orders, and weather emergencies. Non-emergency notifications may include Township information such as event and program reminders, service information, and other general communications. You may customize your alerts by opting-in or opting-out of some types of notifications.

If a family member has medical disabilities and will need special assistance during an emergency, we encourage them to sign up for NJ Special Needs Registry. The “Register Ready” program allows NJ residents with disabilities to preregister so that emergency responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergency. 

Ewing’s Fire Companies also maintain their own database of addresses/individuals that need special assistance evacuating.  Fill out their Emergency Information Request form and send it to them to be included in their database and ensure that they are especially prepared to help you in the event of an emergency.  (This information is not publicly shared.) 

Extreme Heat - There is hot, and then there is hot!

extreme heatExtreme heat is a period of high heat (temperatures above 90°) combined with high humidity for at least two to three days. During this time, your body has to work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.  This is especially hard on seniors, children and sick or overweight individuals.   Did you know that extreme heat is responsible for the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards?

As with all disaster preparedness scenarios, we urge you to prepare before the summer heat hits.

During the Heat Emergency

The 2022 Hurricane Season

HurricaneStep up your readiness for the 2022 hurricane season and ensure that you won’t be caught off guard during the next extreme weather event. If the events of the last number of years have taught us anything, it’s that Climate Change is having unexpected impacts and that we need to be prepared for stronger, more erratic weather events. 

According to the New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change published by the DEP in 2020, “the number of 3, 4, and 5 North Atlantic hurricanes has increased since 1951, most likely due to higher sea surface temperatures occurring in the region where Atlantic hurricanes form. Because sea surface temperatures are expected to increase as a result of the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, future projected scenarios show a potential for hurricanes to become more intense as they move towards the east coast of the United States.” [1] 

Planning and preparation can make all the difference to your safety and recovery during times of perilous weather.  Plan now so that you will know what to do in the event of a hurricane. 

The 2022 Hurricane Season Outlook 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently updated their forecast for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and predicted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.

The ideal time to prepare for a hurricane is when there is no hurricane…  PREPARE

When a hurricane is on its way….  SURVIVE

When the hurricane is here… SURVIVE

Afterwards… BE SAFE

Again, also listen to local authorities for information and special instructions. The hurricane may be over, but that doesn’t mean the danger is.

Each year, we witness the devastating impacts that hurricanes can cause. Hurricanes are not just a threat to coastal communities. High winds, heavy rainfall, tornadoes, and flooding can be felt hundreds of miles inland, potentially causing loss of life and catastrophic damage to property. As Tropical Storm Ida reminded us, it is not just major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher) that we need to worry about, but all hurricanes/tropical storms can cause significant damage.  We encourage you to prepare now for your safety during the 2022 Hurricane season.

Resources

For more information go to ready.gov

[1]  https://www.nj.gov/dep/climatechange/docs/nj-scientific-report-2020.pdf#page=56