Township's Emergency Team Closes Parks, Prepares For Irene

South Whitehall officials are closing today and Sunday, putting extra police on duty as needed and street crews on call, as they prepare for Hurricane Irene to hit the region.

Township Manager Jon Hammer said on Friday the big concerns are possible flooding, power outages and uprooted trees.

"We're going to be prepared as much as we can be," Hammer said. "Don't panic, just prepare." 

Gov. Tom Corbett declared a in Pennsylvania to allow municipalities such as South Whitehall to respond effectively, should the hurricane cause damages.

Township areas prone to flooding are along the Jordan Creek and a tributary to the creek at Haasadahl and Jordan roads. But state-maintained roads such as Cedar Crest and Hamilton boulevards also tend to flood. 

Hammer said if township crews spot trouble, whether on a state or township road, "we're going to take care of it."

The township's emergency management team met twice on Friday, in the morning and late afternoon, to make sure everyone was ready for whatever havoc Hurricane Irene might cause.

Among the 20 or so people who gathered were police and fire officials, department heads and senior staff, and representatives from Cetronia Ambulance, Parkland High School and Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a portion of which which sits along Cedar Creek.

The township's parks and recreation department will close , which straddles Jordan Creek, and other parks starting today. They will remove anything not bolted down, such as picnic tables and garbage cans, to prevent them from being washed away by any rising waters, he said.

The township's volunteer fire companies will have additional staff on hand to handle calls, and extra police will be brought in as needed to handle any emergencies. Street crews will be on call starting Saturday night, probably around 9 p.m.

Officials also have identified possible locations for shelters, such as schools and churches, should any people need to be evacuated from their locations. will also be ready to transport people, if necessary, Hammer said.

The National Weather Service said tropical storm conditions are possible Saturday night, with 3 to 4 inches of rain. Winds could reach 50 mph. On Sunday, tropical storm conditions will continue, with more than 4 inches of rain and winds as high as as 49 mph. 

planned to be open today, Aug. 27, but park officials were keeping watch on the forecast.

Many residents also did their part on Friday to for the hurricane, buying food, batteries and water should the power fail and the water supply get compromised. Giant supermarket at the Village West shopping center in South Whitehall was busy, with people loading up their carts with bottled water as fast as the clerks could stock them on the shelves.