New Jersey preparing for weekend winter snowstorm; residents urged to stay off roads
WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Preparations are already underway for this weekend's winter storm, including in New Jersey, where some officials have reported a shortage of salt.
In Essex County, officials met to make sure everyone is on the same page ahead of the storm.
They said there are going to be heating centers opened up across the county way ahead of the first snowfall so that people can get to them safely if they need to.
They are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. Essex County says they have all the plows and salt spreaders they need to tackle what may be coming on Sunday and have more than enough salt to get the job done. They are also making sure all of their municipalities have the salt that they need for local roads.
They are coordinating with power companies for any outage issues that they may have.
Everyone is on high alert here as they prepare, and that is the message that they are giving everyone to be prepared.
They are urging residents to start running errands now if you can, so you have what you need for any emergencies that might come up, including food, medicine, or anything you may need so you can avoid being out in the storm when it hits.
"So, what we want people to do, the way they can help us is stay off the roadways. Stay in if it comes down," said Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo said. "We know it's going to be heavy. Stay in Sunday. Stay in Monday."
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also weighed in with a message for residents.
"Already been on the phone with a lot of the counties to make sure they have what they need," Sherrill said. "We'll be pushing out information on forecasting from the Office of Emergency Management. So, yes, but that said, I would encourage everyone to, you know what, have a great family day at home this weekend. Play some board games. Don't go out in this. Stay off the streets if you can."
As far as schools are concerned of course, it will be up to individual school districts and superintendents to decide if there is going to be a school on Monday.
The executive in Essex County is saying that they will make sure that all of the roads are clear for safe travel on Monday in case schools are open.
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