Acting Governor Declares Statewide Weather Emergency

As the blizzard ripped through the state yesterday, Acting Governor and Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney signed an order declaring a state of emergency for all of New Jersey at 7:55 p.m. due to the heavy snowfall, with travel restricted to emergency travel only.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm was expected to produce between eight and 20 inches of snow and higher amounts in some locations, wind gusts of 35 to 45 miles per hour, limited visibility and widespread power outages.

Eatontown residents who are signed up for the borough's Code Red emergency notifications received a phone call around 9:48 Sunday night regarding the state of emergency. The message from the police department said that all travel had been restricted by the governor's office to only essential vehicles and urged residents to remain indoors until the storm passed and the restrictions lifted.

At 10:30 p.m., Sweeney announced the authorization of a two-hour
delayed opening for all state offices on Monday.  Essential employees
will report to work on schedule, according to a New Jersey State
Police press release.

"The first action I took as acting governor was to receive a complete briefing on the state's storm preparations from the State Police, the Commissioner of Transportation and the Governor's Chief of Staff," Sweeney said in a statement. "We have been monitoring the situation throughout the afternoon. Based on current conditions and the forecast, I am declaring a state of emergency throughout New Jersey."

According to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, a state of emergency "allows state agencies to quickly respond to needs of citizens, reassign personnel and deploy vehicles, trucks and equipment to respond to the incident. A state of emergency allows the government to act more quickly than it can during non-emergency times."

"It is vital that police and public works crews are able to do their jobs," Sweeney said. "I urge all residents to take this declaration and this storm seriously, and to stay safe, stay home and stay off the roads. We will continue to monitor this storm with the help of our State Police and transportation officials."