South Jersey communities prepare for more snow

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (WPVI) -- As snow piles from recent storms finally begin to disappear, many residents say they are not eager to see more winter weather.

But with another system being monitored for Sunday, communities across Atlantic County say they are prepared.

Some people in South Jersey are still dealing with the aftermath of the last round of winter weather, which brought difficult travel conditions and icy roads.

"Horrible. The ice was the worst. I don't mind the snow so much, but it's the ice," said JoAnn Kaskus of Mays Landing.

The possibility of another storm is causing frustration for some residents.

"I'm wrecked over it. I don't even wanna know about it!" said Marie Ferraro, also of Mays Landing.

Forecasters are closely watching a developing system that could impact the region this weekend, and emergency management officials say they are doing the same.

"We check it every four hours. Twice a day, we get alerts from the National Weather Service," said Michael Fedorko, public safety director for Atlantic County. "Right now, it looks like rain and snow mix. So we'll have to see what happens."

Local municipalities say they are ready if winter weather returns.

In Hamilton Township, officials report that the salt shed has been fully restocked, with about 900 tons delivered last week.

Supplies had dropped significantly after the January snowstorms, but township leaders say they are now prepared for another event.

Egg Harbor City has also replenished its supply.

"Most years we do need some, but this was a lot to get again coming to the end of Feb.," said Meg Steeb, the city clerk.

After the last storm, officials there had to order additional salt, adding to the cost of an already expensive winter.

Overtime for public works crews has also contributed to higher expenses. Even so, officials say road safety remains the priority.

"We've been preparing since the last storm. We did have a little salt shortage, but so did all the neighboring towns. We recently got around 100 tons of salt and typically a storm requires about 50 tons, so we think we are well prepared," Steeb said.

Across Atlantic County, emergency management officials say they are waiting to see how the forecast evolves. If conditions warrant, crews are prepared to brine roads ahead of the storm, with a final decision expected in the coming days.