Hurricane in NJ?

As Ike rolls on toward Texas, my home state, I can't help but to wonder what would be happening here in NJ if Ike were headed our way.  I know my relatives in Galveston will evacuate if the storm tracks anywhere near them. Hurricane Rita forced them to evacuate to Nacogdoches, a nearby East Texas city about three and a half hours away by car.  It took 22 hours.  Gas shortages, traffic jams, and unsanitary conditions made the experience miserable.  They had to ditch one of their cars in a church parking lot with all of their valuables in it.  But they were lucky.  Some people lost their lives. 

What sort of chaos would reign if NJ had to evacuate?  Imagine the gridlock.

A recent NJ taskforce addressing this issue is commendable. 

And the NJ DEP should be recognized for highlighting coastal hazard issues recently on their website.   

However, state policy and government subsidies continue to encourage over-development on the shore, and the state of New Jersey has been slow to act.  

In 2005, the Coastal Ocean Coalition of environmental organizations (including NJ Audbon Society, NJ Sierra Club, Environment New Jersey, NJ Environmental Lobby, NRDC, EDF, and the Surfrider Foundation) released the report  "Ocean Protection in NJ:  A blueprint for statelevel action."   

The report made numerous recommendations for ways to better protect the Jersey shore and it's inhabitants, mostly in the context of protecting the fragile coastal ecosystem.   Unfortunately, the state has done very little to address these issues.   

As more and more people move here, evacuation plans have become increasingly difficult to implement, placing Shore residents at great risk.

Far more must be done by the State to protect the Jersey Shore. It's high time for Governor Corzine and the NJ DEP to offer leadership on Shore protection issues.  The governor can start by appointing effective coastal representatives to the newly created Coastal and Ocean Protection Council.