Jefferson Officials Preparing for Irene

Jefferson officials are taking a “wait and see” approach to Hurricane Irene right now, according to Ed Mangold, head of the township’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

“This morning there was a conference call with myself, (Mayor) Russ (Felter) and (Deputy Chief) Bill (Craig), who is the OEM coordinator,” Mangold said. “Right now we’re going to wait and see what the forecasts continue to be, but we are preparing.”

Mangold said that the township’s fire chiefs will be checking pumps, generators, chain saws and other equipment to be sure that everything is in working order. The Department of Public Works will also be checking and opening storm drains, particularly in flood prone areas, in anticipation of the storm.

“As the storm progresses, we will continue to have meetings each day to make sure we are ready for it,” Mangold said.

The on Sunday morning at 8 a.m., with wind speeds of up to 100 m.p.h.