Evacuation

Situations may arise where your local emergency manager may feel that emergent conditions exist which may warrant a voluntary, recommended or mandatory evacuation of your community in Salem County. These situations could occur during a hurricane, northeast storm, flooding event or even during some type of technological emergency that is affecting your town. Speedy action, when evacuation is necessary, will greatly aid emergency responders in doing their job as well as ensuring your relocation to a safer place quickly and efficiently.

Evacuate immediately if told to do so:

Listen to your battery powered radio and follow the instructions of local emergency officials.
Wear protective clothing and sturdy shoes.
Take your family disaster supplies kit
Lock your home.
Use travel routes specified by local authorities–don’t use shortcuts because certain areas may be impassable or dangerous
Remember that if you anticipate staying in an evacuation shelter that there may not be a cot for you. Bring bedding material and something to sleep on.

If you’re sure you have time:

Shut off water, gas and electricity before leaving, if instructed to do so.
Post a note telling others when you left and where you are going.
Make arrangements for your pets.

Evacuation Routes
The major evacuation routes for Salem County are:

Salem County Evacuation Routes Map

When you begin to plan for an evacuation, be sure you have A Place To Go. Additional information can be found throughout this web site as well as the first section of your local telephone directory.
Please review the evacuation routes map to find the closest evacuation route out of your area. In the event that a hurricane threatens Salem County, the Governor of the State of New Jersey, will declare a “state of emergency” which will allow state and local authorities to take actions to rapidly evacuate Salem County.

Have a Place To Go
Develop a family hurricane preparedness plan before an actual storm threatens your area. If your family hurricane preparedness plan includes evacuation to a safer location for any of the reasons specified by emergency managers, then it is important to consider the following points:

If ordered to evacuate, do not wait or delay your departure. If possible, leave before local officials issue an evacuation order for your area. Even a slight delay in starting your evacuation will result in significantly longer travel times as traffic congestion worsens.
Select an evacuation destination that is nearest to your home, preferably in the same county, or at least minimize the distance over which you must travel in order to reach your intended shelter location.
If possible, make arrangements to stay with the friend or relative who resides closest to your home and who will not have to evacuate. Discuss with your intended host the details of your family evacuation plan well before the beginning of the hurricane season.
If a hotel or motel is your final intended destination during an evacuation, make reservations before you leave.
Most hotel and motels will fill quickly once evacuations begin. The longer you wait to make reservations, even if an official evacuation order has not been issued for your area or county, the less likely you are to find hotel/motel room vacancies, especially along interstate highways and in major metropolitan areas.
If you are unable to stay with friends or family and no hotels/motels rooms are available, then as a last resort go to a shelter.
Remember, shelters are not designed for comfort and do not usually accept pets. Bring your Disaster Supply Kit