Governor Christie has declared a state of emergency for New Jersey as preparations continue throughout New Jersey for Sandy's visit expected to begin on Sunday.

"As we move towards what is an increasingly likelihood of seeing Sandy make landfall in New Jersey, I am urging all New Jerseyans to take every possible and reasonable precaution to ready themselves for the storm's potential impact," said Gov. Christie at the East Keansburg Fire Department.

The roads to the state's barrier islands will be closed Sunday afternoon at 4PM as will the casinos in Atlantic City. When asked, he said this does not include shoreline communities.

Once the storm gets going he urged people to stay off the roads although no roads are planned to be closed.

The storm has been upgraded to a category 1 hurricane again as it continues to spin up the east coats and make landfall somewhere between the Delmarva peninsula and Long Island.

The storm's effects are expected to begin with rain arriving on Sunday with 6-10 inches expected through Monday, setting the stage for record flooding.

Forecasters say that if Sandy passes across the coast between Atlantic City and Belmar around the time of high tide on Monday evening with long duration tidal flooding and road closures. Ocean waves will be at 15-20 feet during high tide and could cause “considerable damage” to beachfront properties.

The strongest winds on Monday and Tuesday according to the National Weather Service.

Regardless of where Sandy makes landfall, the National Weather Service expects this storm to have widespread impact throughout the state of "historical proportions."

The storm was expected to increase in speed and move away from the Bahamas and parallel to the southeast coast of the United States later this weekend.

Atlantic County has declared a State of Emergency which allows officials to employ resources and assets necessary to prepare for — and respond to — the impending storm. There is no travel ban in effect at this time. The state of emergency will remain in effect until further notice.

Governor Christie will spend the day getting the state ready by meeting with his cabinet at 9AM, at the State Police Operations Center in Ewing,  then traveling to Keansburg and North Wildwood to meet with volunteers and fire fighters.

Yesterday the state began opening flood gates on a number of lakes around the state to alleviate potential flooding. "Opening these flood gates is a necessary action to help mitigate the effects of this potentially unprecedented storm that is heading our way," said Governor Christie. "A great deal of rainfall is expected which could cause major flooding, so we are taking every step we can to try to mitigate the potential flooding that could occur and provide relief to some of our communities who are often hardest hit by severe weather and flooding."

Reservoirs that will be drawn down are the Woodcliffe Lake-Lake Tappan-Oradell Reservoir system operated by United Water in Bergen County; the Charlottesburg Reservoir, operated by the City of Newark; the Wanaque Reservoir operated by the North Jersey Water Supply District; and the Boonton Reservoir operated by Jersey City.

In anticipation of the storm, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletics Association will permit early round postseason contests in boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey and volleyball to be played this weekend according to the Star Ledger. They had been scheduled to begin on Monday.

Some suggested pre-storm actions are:

1. Fuel up your vehicles.

2. If you have a generator, be sure you have adequate fuel on hand.

3. To prepare for the possibility of prolonged power outages, make Sure you have a supply of fresh batteries and a supply of candles or flashlights on hand.

4. Be sure to have several days of fresh water on hand for drinking and cooking.

5. If you still have lawn furniture outside, secure or store it indoors. Secure any outside items that could become airborne in strong winds, including Halloween decorations.

6. Clean out any storm drains or gutters that may be clogged by leaves.

 

7. If you live in a flood prone area and if possible, consider

Moving items that may become damaged to higher ground.

 

8. If you have limited mobility or know of someone who may be

Disabled, consider arranging for temporary shelter if they live in
an area that may flood or could lose power.

9. If you need to evacuate, be sure to care for your pets.


 

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