NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE

OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John R. Hagerty, NJSP Mary Goepfert, NJOEM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2001

NJSP EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ACTIVATED, STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARED

W. Trenton The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management remains on 'around-the-clock'
operation status monitoring the current weather events, issuing regular weather updates and information to all county and local offices of emergency management as an intense northeast storm threatens the Mid-Atlantic seaboard, according to Colonel Carson J. Dunbar, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and Director of the Office of Emergency Management.

Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco has issued a State of Emergency declaration for the entire
state in preparation for responding to any emergency events. A State of Emergency allows New Jersey officials to quickly muster the resources necessary to insure public safety in times of natural disaster, or during large-scale emergency events. It is a proactive measure normally taken during events such as this, the Acting Governor noted.

The emergency order also authorizes the Superintendent of the State Police to implement emergency traffic control procedures on state and interstate highways to aid in moving traffic during the emergency declaration. The order includes all access roads and municipal or county roads and authorizes the State Police to detour, reroute or divert any and all traffic as necessary to alleviate emergency and traffic situations. The order also authorizes all municipal police departments to enforce in their jurisdictions any orders issued by the State Police in connection with the emergency order.

The state officials noted that this is a complex storm which has a great potential to impact all areas of the state. In particular, emergency management officials will be closely monitoring coastal flooding along the entire Jersey coast and the potential heavy accumulation of snow in the central and northwest portions of the state.

The State Emergency Operations Center in West Trenton was activated at 8:00 a.m. on March 4 and will remain open as long as the situation requires. Acting Governor DiFrancesco, Attorney General John Farmer, Col. Dunbar, General Paul Glazer and representatives from the NJ Departments of Transportation, the New Jersey National Guard, the Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Environmental Protection and other state departments are working closely to insure the safety of New Jersey citizens during the storm. Additionally, allied agencies such as Red Cross, Salvation Army and other public service agencies stand ready to respond to any emergency situation.

Additional actions by the Office of Emergency Management include the coordination of any and all
requests for state resources by county and local governments as well as monitoring the actions of the 21 county Offices' of Emergency Management.

New Jersey's emergency management system is at the ready and in place to help the public safely
negotiate the effects of the Northeast storm. Residents should also exercise caution when traveling or shoveling snow, and dress appropriately if going outdoors.

Additional weather and winter storm preparedness information is available through the New Jersey State Police Web Page at www.njsp.org; the State of New Jersey Web Page at www.state.nj.us; via WEATHER.NOAA.GOV/PHI; through the NOAA weather radio station or from local media weather updates.

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