Area residents may be jaded by previous storm alerts that did not result in much damage, but Downe Township Fire Captain Cliff Higbee is warning residents to take Hurricane Sandy seriously.

“One of these times it’s going to bite us and we just hope it’s not going to be this time,” Higbee said.

The Office of Emergency Management for Cumberland County and emergency management representatives from their respective municipalities stayed in contact throughout Friday afternoon preparing for what could be the biggest storm to hit New Jersey in the last century.

Hurricane Sandy is currently off the coast of Florida, battering the coastline, and New Jersey is expected to feel the effects of the storm by Sunday.

“County and local officials are currently activating their emergency action plans in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy,” said Troy Ferus, spokesman for Cumberland County.

The storm is expected to include heavy rain, winds and a great possibility of flooding.

“Due to the impending storm expected to affect this region late Sunday through late Tuesday, Cumberland County and Municipal Officials are strongly recommending evacuations for residence along the Delaware Bay,” Ferus said.

Residents in Greenwich, Fairfield townships and municipalities located southwest of Route 553 like Lawrence, Downe and Commercial townships should make plans with friends and family to vacate their region.

For a list of evacuation routes, click here: cumberland_evac.pdf

With this summer’s derecho storm still in the minds of many residents, Ferus stresses the fact that Hurricane Sandy has the potential for much more destruction.

“The last storm we had on June 30 only lasted half an hour, this storm is going to last two days,” Ferus said.

No county-wide state of emergency has been declared, but Gov. Chris Christie is expected to make an announcement about the impending storm this Sunday.

The state Department of Corrections ordered the evacuation of inmates at Southern State Correctional Facility in Maurice River Township.

The inmates will be temporarily housed in other prisons.

The county OEM is currently setting up an emergency operations center in its offices to help assist residents.

There are also plans to open a shelter at Cumberland County College in Vineland. Officials have not determined when this shelter will open.

According to Ferus, the college is being set up to hold 300 people and can hold a maximum of 500 if needed.

There are only a limited number of beds, though.

“We’re trying to encourage people to seek out their family and friends and to seek out the college as a last resort,” Ferus said.

Those utilizing the college are instructed to bring their own blankets.

“We still have some other buildings to set up if we need to,” Ferus said.

While many shore points have already announced evacuations, none of the residents from Atlantic or Cape May counties have gone to Cumberland County yet.

The biggest concern for the OEM is tidal flooding on Tuesday.

In Downe Township, the mayor, OEM representatives and emergency responders plan on meeting on Saturday to go over emergency plans.

On Sunday, the township will alert residents about evacuation orders and check to see who is staying behind.

Downe, located right on the Delaware Bay, is especially prone to flooding.

“The rain doesn’t usually hurt us, but when you have rain and flood tides, that’s when we usually wind up with a mess,” said Higbee said.

When the officials make their rounds to see who is staying behind, they will also alert residents that assistance will not be able to come until after the storm passes.

“When that road becomes impassable, you’re stuck there,” Higbee said.

As the storm approaches, emergency responders in Downe Township will go out and take a headcount of who is evacuating and who isn’t.

“A lot of people just don’t want to leave,” Higbee said. “They’re afraid to leave.”

Seniors and residents with medical issues are urged to find friends or family to stay with during the storm’s duration.

Hospitals are also organizing their staffs for the storm.

“We have an emergency preparedness plan at the health system that we activated to prepare for the storm,” said Greg Potter, spokesman for South Jersey Healthcare.

Each campus of the hospital met on Friday to assign emergency response teams to ensure that there are enough staff members to adequately treat patients during the storm.

“We started to look at our operations, generators and other facilities to make sure we remain operational if we lose power,” Potter said.

With the threat of losing power looming, Atlantic City Electric is making the necessary precautions to combat the predicted power outages.

The electric utility has initiated its Incident Response Plan and have contacted 2,500 additional line personnel from outside the area.

N.J. residents prepare for Hurricane Sandy 38 Gallery: N.J. residents prepare for Hurricane Sandy

“Our emergency teams are active, regional storm teams are communicating and operational teams are preparing for potentially devastating damage to the region’s infrastructure,” said Vince Maione, ACE region president.

Vineland Municipal Electric Utility is also preparing for widespread outages caused by Hurricane Sandy by contacting outside resources.

“This storm is much different than the unexpected derecho storm that hit our area in late June,” said Joseph Isabella, director of the utility. “We have time to prepare and we are making sure we have the manpower and are well-equipped to restore service to our customers as soon as we possibly can.”

Further storm information can be heard from Vineland’s health department radio station at 1630 AM and from emergency broadcast information at 107.7 FM.

“We are praying that this storm changes direction and heads out to sea but preliminary reports say the storm is headed our way,” said Vineland Mayor Robert Romano.

The storm has also affected shellfish harvesting, with the state Department of Environmental Protection planning to shut down state waters at sunrise on Monday.

The DEP monitors 295,857 acres of estuarine beds and 295,857 acres of ocean beds for shellfish harvesting, all of which will be shut down for safety precautions.

Overall, the most important responsibility residents have in Cumberland County is to prepare themselves for the oncoming storm.

According to the Red Cross, residents should assemble an emergency kit in a water-resistant, easy-to-carry container. Included should be water, food, a battery powered radio, first-aid kit, prescriptions, copies of important documents, personal hygiene items, pet supplies, blankets and extra cash.

Families should also have a disaster plan prepared.

There should be two meeting places, both outside the home and in the neighborhood.

There should also be advanced preparation for pets in case of catastrophe.

If the hurricane hits, all appliances should be unplugged and the electricity and the main water valve should be turned off.

If not advised to evacuate, residents should stay inside and away from windows.

Windows and doors should be closed and secured by shutters or plywood.

The Red Cross also has a special app for smartphones that regularly updates storm information.

IMPORTANT EMERGENCY NUMBERS

In case of emergency, the following numbers can be helpful:

- For police, fire or medical emergencies, dial 9-1-1

- For the Cumberland County Office of Emergency Management, dial 856-455-8770

- For any Atlantic City Electric outages or tree limbs on wires, dial 1-800-833-7476

- South Jersey Gas, dial 800-582-7060

- For electric and water emergencies in Vineland, dial 856-794-4280

- Landis Sewerage Authority, dial 856-691-2324 or 856-691-0551

- Vineland Office of Emergency Management, dial 856-691-4540

- Storm updates, dial 1-866-704-4636

Complete coverage of Hurricane Sandy

Contact Don E. Woods at 856-451-1000, ext. 518 or dwoods@southjerseymedia.com

Follow @theSJtimes