Improved Evacuation Bill In NJ Senate

SEA ISLE CITY - Last week there was Tropical Storm Danielle. This weekend we will see the effects of Hurricane Earl. With all this severe weather activity, New Jersey may start to rethink the statewide evacuation plans.

Fox 29’s Sean Tobin reports that there is actually a bill already making its way through the state senate. The sponsor of the bill is Senator Jeff Van Drew. Essentially, the bill focuses on making sure that state, county and local municipalities have the tools they need, should a hurricane force evacuations.

The problem right now is that different counties follow different rules. The proposed bill would essentially put counties across the state on the same page.

For example, county and state officials would have the power to turn around all lanes of traffic in one direction on the AC expressway and the Garden State Expressway. Counties would also begin building a registry for residents with special needs. Such residents would require specialized attention during an evacuation.

Evacuation operations would expand to include domesticated and farm animals as well as service animals for special needs residents. Sean spoke with Sea isle Mayor Len Desiderio who thinks this bill is a good idea.

Like the Mayor, residents in Sea Isle think it is a good idea and hope to never have to use it.

Now, if you are a boat owner in the state of New Jersey there is one provision that you might want to know about. It states that during an evacuation, if you need to pull a trailer, you will NOT be able to pull that trailer during the evacuation. Translation: You won't get to take your boat with you if you are evacuated. Right now, the bill is working it's way through a State senate sub-committee.