Dear friends, thank you for responding to our recent alert concerning storm assessment. Please continue to be vigilant this weekend as Hurricane Irene continues it's trek towards New Jersey. Please be mindful, and prayerful concerning all those being affected. We stand ready to assist our neighbors as congregations of Newark Presbytery. I have included State of New Jersey hurricane preparedness information below. Also, there are many free and low cost apps for weather and news tracking for the iPad, iPhone, and Andriod devices. if you need assistance, please call Presbytery Center. Even when calling outside of office hours, the staff can respond to urgent requests. Thank you for your thoughtful preparation for your home and church property, and love for neighbors, as you extend the hospitality of Jesus during the forecasted hurricane.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Dr. Kevin Yoho
General Presbyter

New Jersey Office of Emergency Management

HURRICANES AND TROPICAL STORMS: READ THIS PAGE FIRST!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml

Community Groups:
For Preparedness Info,
Call Your County OEM or 609-963-6964

What to do NOW, before a Hurricane or Tropical Storm strikes
Basic Steps For Preparedness
Find Out if You Are In A High-Risk Area
Know How You Will Evacuate Or Shelter-in-Place
Prepare Your Home, Mobile Home Or Business For Hurricane Or Tropical Storm Condition
High-Rise Safety
What to do when a storm is APPROACHING
Pay Attention To Weather Forecasts
Listen For Official Instructions
While You Are Waiting to Receive Official Instructions
Evacuation Orders : Mandatory vs. Voluntary
What to do AFTER the storm passes
Returning Home After The Storm

TRACK THE WEATHER

Track color-coded maps with New Jersey’s real-time NWS weather forecasts, shore, tidal and river information:

NWS Philly/Mount Holly Site
NWS NYC/Upton Site
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
Track current Tropical Storm and Hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, with NWS/National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Prediction Center

Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or a local news source for weather information and for instructions from public safety officials. Remember: A battery-powered radio is a vital part of your Emergency Supply Kit (pdf).

HURRICANES and TROPICAL STORMS: THE DANGERS

The key threats from an approaching Tropical Storm or Hurricane are WIND, STORM SURGE, FLOODING, and the potential for TORNADOES.

Hurricane WINDS can reach 74-95 mph for a Category 1 storm, to above 155 mph for a Category 5 storm.
The STORM SURGE is a dome of ocean water the hurricane pushes ahead of itself. At its peak a storm surge can be 25 feet high and 50-100 miles wide. The storm surge can devastate coastal communities as it sweeps ashore.
The thunderstorms and torrential rains that accompany a hurricane can create dangerous and deadly FLOODS or FLASHFLOODS.
Seventy percent of hurricanes making landfall spawn at least one TORNADO.

HURRICANE SEASON: THE FACTS

Hurricane season normally runs from June 1 through November 30 – or even beyond, as the world saw during the record-setting 2005 season. The peak potential for Hurricane and Tropical Storm activity in New Jersey runs from mid-August through the end of October.

The combination of warm ocean water, humid air and consistent winds contributes to the formation of “tropical cyclones” – low-pressure systems of circulating winds, clouds and thunderstorms – over the Atlantic Ocean , Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico .

As they gain strength, these cyclones are classified as Tropical Depressions, Tropical Storms or Hurricanes. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale rates Hurricane strengths, from Category 1 to Category 5.

Most of these storms remain over the ocean without affecting the U.S. coastline.

When they approach land, Tropical Storms and Hurricanes can be extremely deadly and destructive – even as far north as New Jersey , and even when they do not make landfall here.