Hurricane Irene: Belmar Advises Residents to Evacuate

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty is advising residents to take the threat of Hurricane Irene seriously.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting

Doherty and borough officials are urging residents to consider evacuating the borough by Saturday afternoon and suggest that residents not attempt to ride out the storm.

"We're being serious about this and we need our residents to be equally serious about the severity of what's coming," he said.

As borough employees at the beachfront , the mayor spent the day coordinating with state, county and other local officials and making preparations.

Doherty pointed to storms previous in noting that Belmar frequently loses power during these type of extreme weather events.

"You may be without electricity for 24 to 36 hours," Doherty advised residents.

Currently, the mayor is suggesting that residents seeking shelter go to the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management shelter at

During the afternoon hours on Thursday, the borough of Belmar issued a Code Red Alert via their website, urging residents to fortify their homes and seek shelter inland.

The message reads:

Hurricane Irene is forecasted to hit Belmar this Saturday and Sunday.  This is a significant storm that may do serious damage and it should not be taken lightly.  Do not attempt to ride this out.  The Governor has declared a state of emergency and we anticipate losing electricity throughout the town.  We are urging all Belmar residents to evacuate by Friday night.

We advise you to do the following: secure your home, take in or secure outside items such as: porch and patio furniture, garbage cans, flags, umbrellas, grills, and any other outdoor items.  In addition it is highly  recommended that you top off your cars gas tank, get cash from ATM’s, have a flashlight and batteries, fill your prescription drugs, have a first aid kit, know your emergency routes.

We are also announcing that the beach will be closed Saturday and Sunday.

Please check this website throughout the next few days for updates and important information.

Governor Chris Christie today declared a throughout New Jersey due to the impending storm.

The governor will on the Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Express Friday, hoping to lure residents away from the Shore who may inclined to stay.

Throughout the area today,