By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
It was a coincidence that Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad director Frank Setnicky found himself Monday reminiscing about tropical storm Irene at the same time another major tropical storm was threatening the Gulf Coast.
”Can you believe it?” he said in a phone interview.
One year has passed since Irene flooded roads and downed trees and power lines in communities across the state.
For the Princeton community, the storm also caused the death of a member of the squad, Michael Kenwood, who perished during an attempted water rescue.
His family and friends were scheduled to gather today at 11 a.m. at Greenway Meadows Park for a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of his death.
In the aftermath of Irene, Mr. Setnicky said the squad has started working closer with the Rocky Hill Fire Department, the only agency that was able to get into Princeton last year, since flooded roads prevented others from getting here. Rocky Hill will automatically respond to Princeton to serve as back-up in cases of a swift water, or floodwater, rescue, he said.
In looking back, Robert Gregory, director of emergency services for the two towns, said Monday that he would have liked to get more information to the public before the storm hit about what steps to take to prepare. He said those include having a generator to go with a sump pump to having batteries and a radio handy.
Princeton Health Officer David A. Henry said Monday that the only thing his department would do differently would be onsite checks of food establishments during power outages. In that way, the department could make sure that if outages lasted several hours, the proprietors either had a place with electricity to store the food or destroyed it.
Mr. Henry also offered a piece of advice for residents with wells and septic tanks, to store water ahead of time in the bath tub that could be used to drink or flush toilets.
Borough police Lt. Robert Currier said Monday that police were well-prepared in advance of the storm. One area where officials maybe could have done a better job, he said, was notifying the public about flooding, power outages and road closures. He said that could have been accomplished through reverse 911 calls or social networking sites.
In the meantime, residents should know what to do to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm. Tips include:
Put together a kit of emergency supplies that includes a three-day supply of canned, non-perishable, ready-to-eat food; a three-day supply of water (a total of 3 gallons per family member); a battery-operated radio and extra batteries; a flashlight and extra batteries; and a first aid kit.
Make a plan for what you and your family will do during an emergency. This includes knowing how to evacuate and how to “shelter in place,” which means stay home and avoid driving if at all possible.
Stay informed of possible threats by tuning in to your local media outlets for the latest breaking weather news. Also register for the Alert-MercerCounty emergency notification system at https://mercercounty.onthealert.com.
The state Office of Emergency Management has prepared a “Hurricane Survival Guide for New Jersey” that’s a complete resource for preparing a home or business for hurricane season. It is found on the New Jersey OEM website, www.ready.nj.gov/, or by visiting the Mercer County website, www.mercercounty.org.
