Emergency Management
Pennsville Emergency Management Office
Phone: 856-678-3089 X 1159
email: pvpdoem@pvtwp.com
Coordinator: Stephen J. Krough
Deputies: Robert Chambers and Jeff Hoffman
The Pennsville Office of Emergency Management is located at 90 N. Broadway to the rear of the Pennsville Municipal Building. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
The Emergency Management Office is responsible for maintaining and updating the township’s Emergency Operating Plans which deals with natural and manmade disasters. The EOP also establishes guidelines for government and emergency workers as to their roles and responsibilities during an emergency event.
The Emergency Management Office also acts as a liaison between local, county, state and federal government agencies. The local OEM office acts as an incident command center for the township during weather events such as Tropical Storm Irene, Superstorm Sandy or manmade disasters including chemical releases, hazardous spills and nuclear releases.
Our Emergency Management Office participates in annual exercises with local industry and government agencies, from full scale to small table top exercises. These exercises include all emergency services disciplines including local police, fire, and ambulance also other township departments such as public works, water, sewer and township committee representatives.
Pennsville Township’s major concerns deal with flooding as our township is surrounded by water, (basically an Island) and just above sea level. During heavy rainfall events pumping water out of the township’s low lying areas is a priority. Unfortunately situations arise when drainage becomes clogged due to leaves, brush and other debris discarded in the streets and drainage ditches. These careless acts often causes water to back-up quickly and residential flooding occurs. Our Emergency Management Office asks each resident to be responsible and take part to help prevent flooding by keeping leaves, other debris, and plastic bottles out of the street, thus preventing these items from blocking storm drains.
Disaster can strike without warning forcing us to go for days without basic necessities or even to evacuate our homes. Relief workers will be on the scene following a disaster, but may not be able to reach you or your family immediately. You need to be prepared! Knowing the steps to take during a disaster whether flooding, hurricane, other weather events or manmade disasters your family may face. Creating a basic emergency plan and preparing a disaster supply kit or a “grab and go bag/kit” may make the difference in a crisis. For information regarding Disaster; planning, building kits, special needs registration, etc. go to the following websites: www.readysalem.org , www.ready.nj.gov , www.fema.gov , www.nj211.org , www.registerready.nj.gov then click on the links for disaster planning, special needs registration etc.
Pennsville Township as a community has always worked together in our effort for a safer more secure town, lets continue this effort by looking out for our families and neighbors. You can serve by taking part in community emergency services by joining our fire department or the county Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) group. Be ready and have an All Hazards Plan and remember you are not alone in your effort for “TOGETHER WE PREPARE”
Emergency Management Coordinator
Stephen J. Krough
Have you experienced a loss from a natural hazard? Are you interested in learning more about risks our community faces from natural hazards and what can be done about it?
Hazard mitigation is defined as sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards such as flooding, high winds, winter storms, and wildfires. Hazard mitigation planning is the process through which communities identify the risks they face and develop strategies to implement hazard mitigation measures.
Our community has a current hazard mitigation plan (HMP) that was completed in 2016 along with the other municipalities in Salem County. An update of this hazard mitigation plan is underway to meet federal requirements and help substantially reduce the risk of injury, death, property loss, and economic disruption from natural disasters.
The participation of concerned citizens will be important to the success of the hazard mitigation plan update. Hazard mitigation is most effective when local governments work with residents, property owners, and business interests to identify and understand risks and focus public and private resources on realistic solutions to problems.
For more information, please visit the Salem County 2023 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update project website.
The Public Review Draft of the Salem County Multi-Jurisdictional Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update will be available for review between Friday, August 18th and Friday, September 15th. The documents will be posted on the project website at https://schmpu23.com/documents. and can be downloaded for review during this period. Any comments or questions can be directed to your community’s Office of Emergency Management.
