By Gabrielle Beacken
Staff Writer
What was expected to be the biggest snow blizzard of the season turned out to be a typical, light-snow storm for New Jerseyians. Fortune was with Mercer County as the blizzard “Juno” moved east and left the county with only two to four inches of snow. Yet, snow blizzard or not, Mercer County was prepared.
While the students of the Mercer region schools were enjoying their snow day, New Jersey officials were busy trying to resume normal operations.
It began at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lifted the statewide travel ban, according to a Times of Trenton article. The RiverLINE NJ Transit service located in Trenton, as well as the SEPTA service back and forth from Trenton, began moving their trains as early as 8 a.m.
Frontier Airline flights at Trenton-Mercer airport were stopped on Tuesday. However, a representative said all flights would resume on Wednesday, Jan. 28, according to the Times.
According to Trenton Mayor Eric Jackson in a Times article, 16 plow truck drivers were clearing “the most highly traveled areas” in Trenton.
“We have some trucks everywhere,” Jackson said in the Times article.
Aid organizations such as The Rescue Mission of Trenton, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and the American Red Cross in Princeton were all well prepared for the consequences of the storm.
“We were at the ready,” said Diane Concannon, spokeswoman of the American Red Cross in Princeton. “Fortunately we were not activated.”
Though no American Red Cross shelters were open the night of Monday, Jan. 26, representatives of the organization kept in contact with their emergency offices just in case the storm hit.
Concannon was very happy to see that everyone was prepared, even though the storm was not as bas as predicted.
On that same night, The Rescue Mission of Trenton serviced 215 people at their shelter, which holds the capacity of 225 people. According to The Rescue Mission of Trenton Chief Operating Officer Barret Young, a typical number of people in the shelter in January is 177, he said in a Times article. Surprised that the shelter did not reach full capacity, Young reasoned this was because conditions were not as bad as expected.
Although the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen was closed on Tuesday, Jan. 26, TASK packed bagged lunches for The Rescue Mission of Trenton “to help with the demand for food,” according to the Times.
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and The Rescue Mission of Trenton were expected to resume their normal schedules on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Although the blizzard “Juno” was not as drastic as anticipated, Mercer County was thoroughly equipped and ready for the possible snowstorm.
“We prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Concannon told the Times.
