Township News: Middletown Prepared for Winter Storm

From Middletown Public Info:
January 20, 2016

With a potential snow storm on deck this weekend, it’s time to prepare for winter weather.

“Middletown is ready to face what may be the first major snow storm of the season,” said Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, Ph.D. “The township has 153 pieces of equipment at its disposal to clear snow from more than 650 lane miles of road.”

The fleet includes 83 township plows, brining machines, sanders, and other heavy equipment. The township can put more equipment on the road this year thanks to the recent acquisition of several army surplus vehicles at no cost. The other 70 plows are provided by local contractors who augment township snow removal efforts as needed.

Township crews will begin pre-treating roads with brine, salt and sand as early as Thursday. All emergency personnel will be on standby as the storm advances as well, said Township Administrator Anthony P. Mercantante.

The storm has the potential to bring high wind and heavy precipitation with it. In the event that streets flood, do not drive around barricades or attempt to drive through standing water. Seek alternate routes, said Mercantante.

High tides of particular concern include those at 7:00 am and 7:30 pm on Saturday, January 23rd. Keep in mind a full moon tide is anticipated this weekend.

Meanwhile, Middletown Township asks that residents make preparations as well. “We encourage residents to prepare, plan and stay informed about the current weather situation,” said Mayor Scharfenberger.

STAY INFORMED by registering to receive emergency alerts from Middletown Township. Residents can register through the town website at www.middletownnj.org/register. Alerts and updates are sent by text and e-mail. Residents need to register their cell phone to receive voice messages on their cells. Be sure to include a home or local address since messages are sometimes sent based on geographic location. Registration is not necessary to receive voice messages via landline phone.

Updates will also be posted on the township website (www.middletownnj.org/alerts) the township television station (Comcast Channel 20 and Verizon Channel 26), Middletown Emergency Radio 1620 AM, Facebook at middletownnjtownhall, Twitter at middletownnj and Nixle (nixle.com)

Residents should prepare for the upcoming storm now, said Emergency Management Coordinator Charles Rogers.

Secure your property. Remove upright portable basketball nets from streets, put away outdoor decorations and other items that could be affected by high winds and heavy precipitation. Clear and debris away from storm drains allowing water to flow properly.

Residents in low-lying areas are reminded to move vehicles to higher ground. Residents can park vehicles at the Middletown train station.

Assemble Kit of Emergency Supplies that includes batteries, a flashlight, radio, first-aid kit, medications, food and water to last three or more days, can opener, cooking tools, and toiletries.

Residents should also have an EMERGENCY PLAN in place. Know your evacuation routes. In addition, your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so plan a way to contact one another, such as enlisting the help of a third party in another state as a contact, and review what you will do in different situations, Rogers said.

Residents with home generators need to be aware that they must be placed at least 20 feet away from any habitable structure when they are in use for safety reasons. Now is also a good time to start up the generator and make it is in working order, he said. It is also a good idea to have extra fuel stored in the appropriate containers on hand.

Please remember to limit 9-1-1 calls to emergencies only. In the event of power outages that do not involve hazardous conditions, contact JCP&L directly at 1-888-LIGHTSS (544-4877).

Middletown OEM works closely with the School District, Monmouth County, federal, state and local partners to prepare for virtually all hazards, natural or manmade, that could affect New Jersey’s families, communities and businesses.

Visit www.ready.nj.gov for more preparedness information

We're Running Out of Helium

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Helium is useful for much more than filling party balloons. It is required for the operation of MRI machines and quantum computers, the manufacture of microchips and optoelectronics, and the conduct of countless scientific experiments. For many decades, recognizing its value, the United States has stockpiled the gas, which is found as a trace component in some natural gas fields. Under the Gingrich-inspired drive toward privatization of government resources, the 1996 Helium Privatization Act required selling off the national reserves, eventually to leave users of helium at the mercy of the international market. The law was poorly crafted and required helium to be sold at a price that is far below fair market value. This fire-sale pricing has squandered a relatively rare and valuable resource, has reduced returns to taxpayers, and, most important, has resulted in an unreliable supply of helium.

In collaboration with both the Republican and Democratic leadership on the Committee on Natural Resources, I have introduced legislation to establish public auctions to set a fair price for helium. Although our legislation does not provide the long-term fix we will need ultimately to insure adequate supply, it would allocate a portion of our helium reserves for research and defense purposes and stop the firesale of public resources. I wish that when the 1996 bill was passed, lawmakers had cared less about whether a policy was nominally “public” or “private” and more about whether it was intelligently crafted and carefully executed with the long-term future in mind.

The Coming Demographic Deficit

For the past half century, America’s economy has benefited from what you might call a “demographic surplus.” Because of the post-World War II baby boom, our population has consisted of many working-aged adults. Yet as America ages and Baby Boomers retire, we will be at risk of running a “demographic deficit”: that is, the population will begin to skew toward people beyond their most productive years.

We can see similar demographic forces at work in other countries. China is growing at a blistering pace, but due to its “one child per family” policy, its population contains few young people. As an increasing share of China’s population retires, the nation’s economic growth could stagnate. India presents a near-opposite picture. About half of India’s population is under the age of 25. In the years to come, its working-age population will increase, potentially providing an economic boost.

Here in the U.S., politicians sometimes talk about our demographic challenges by saying that the costs of Social Security and Medicare will rise in the years ahead, but that is an incomplete view. A vibrant economy capable of supporting workers, non-workers, and their families depends not only on the number of people in each age bracket but also on the training, education, communications, transportation, research, and other things that are provided to make the workers most effective, knowledgeable, and productive.

How can America overcome our “demographic deficit?” One possibility is to make full use of immigrants in our economy, which could add more working-aged adults to our population and allow them to find jobs where they can contribute the most. Government and businesses also can invest in projects that are likely to produce big payoffs down the road, such as infrastructure and R&D and education, which will help our economy continue to grow despite demographic headwinds.

National Serve Weather Preparedness Week

As Hurricane Sandy and other recent storms have reminded us, severe weather can strike anywhere at any time. This week is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, a good time to learn about and prepare for severe weather.

In particular, please take a few minutes to prepare a family emergency plan, build an emergency kit, and ensure that your important papers and valuables are stored in a safe place. Also, learn whether your cell phone is equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, and consider subscribing to receive severe weather alerts from government or private forecasters.

Further information is available online at ready.gov/severe-weather.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress