Communication among various emergency agencies deemed crucial by expert
By: Courtney Gross
To further a dialogue on emergency preparedness, the Princeton Regional Health Commission welcomed a risk analyst Tuesday at its monthly meeting to discuss what areas both Princeton Borough and Princeton Township should focus on when it comes to manmade and natural disasters.
Peter A. Oppenheim of Oppenheim Consulting in Plainsboro said disasters can come in unexpected ways, such as thunderstorms. In New Jersey a state that ranks fifth for its flooding frequency and in the Princeton area, floods can be a major concern, Mr. Oppenheim said.
Most important, Mr. Oppenheim told the commission, officials should ensure an emergency plan is always evolving and communication among agencies can be achieved during disasters.
Following Mr. Oppenheim’s presentation, Health Officer David Henry told the commission the drafting of an emergency preparedness plan will most likely occur on the county level, once anticipated funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is received.
In the meantime, Mr. Henry said, the commission should attempt to ensure that communication avenues between municipalities and agencies are open.
Also during the monthly meeting Tuesday evening, Mr. Henry said the borough and the township are much better prepared to deal with the fallout of the state’s deer-removal cutbacks than other municipalities, because of their longstanding deer-management program.
The state will stop funding deer removal on local and county roads on Oct. 1, leaving the township and borough to cover the cost.
Mr. Henry said Animal Control Officer Mark Johnson will be picking up all of the deer, taking them to the Sewer Operating Committee site next to the Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority on River Road and separating the deer carcasses into separate piles.
From there, county and state agencies can pick up deer killed on their respective roadways, Mr. Henry said. The state has given the Regional Health Commission temporary approval for the new process, which could expire after two weeks if it is ineffective.
"It’s to get the best bang for the buck," Mr. Henry said.
The cost to the municipalities, Mr. Henry said, will not be considerable, because just 100 deer are killed on roadways in the borough and township each year. It will cost $65 to have each deer removed from the Sewer Operating Committee site, Mr. Henry said.

