Camden County Begins Cleanup Following Monster Storm

Downed trees, snapped power lines and closed intersections continue to be problems, as driving restrictions remain in place throughout Camden County in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy Tuesday.

Reports came in the hundreds on fallen trees, among 3,000 calls into the county 911 center—more than double the typical call volume, according to county officials—and work is well underway.

“We are working to clean up the county, and our crews are removing downed trees and debris throughout our 222 square miles,” Freeholder Ian Leonard said in a release late Tuesday morning. “There was extensive tree damage, but flooding was not as widespread as predicted. I want to reiterate to residents, stay away from all downed wires and lines no matter what utility.”

In the meantime, the county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is enforcing a non-essential travel ban.

“Keeping roads passable for emergency vehicles and essential employees has been a top priority,” Leonard said. “County crews equipped with chainsaws have removed hundreds of trees and limbs from roads throughout the county and are still on the job now.”

Leonard noted the county is asking people in particular to avoid Station Avenue in Haddon Heights, where a tree wrapped in utility lines fell into the roadway.

There was no major infrastructure damage, either, Leonard said, despite concerns over the Evans Mill Dam Monday evening.

“I’m happy to report that our engineers have checked many, if not all, culverts, bridges, dams and current construction sites and no failures have been reported,” Leonard said. “This is good news and I will keep residents up to date if anything changes on this important front.”

Downed power lines, which have resulted in outages for thousands across the county, including in every town served by PSE&G, are being handled by emergency workers and power crews, which have begun to assess the damage.

PSE&G reported via Twitter it could be a long process, and that it's prioritizing hospitals, police and fire stations, water and sewer facilities, and areas that will restore the most number of people at once.

Current road closings as reported into the Camden County OEM:

• Several blocks of River Road has been closed in Camden City
• Creek Road is closed in Bellmawr
• Kaighn Avenue is closed in Camden City and Pennsauken
• Springdale at Route 70 is closed in Cherry Hill
• Route 38 is closed at Mall Drive in Cherry Hill
• Church Road is closed at Delwood in Cherry Hill
• Downed traffic signal at 561 and Cranford in Cherry Hill
• Downed traffic signal at Route 70 and Kingston in Cherry Hill
• The 800 block of Station Avenue is closed in Haddon Heights