Cape May Awarded Funding for Public Address System - NBC40.net

Cape May City, NJ – Cape May City has been awarded a $35,000 matching grant to install a new public address system along the City's beachfront. 

Mayor Ed Mahaney stated, "This Communication System will provide an instant means to notify beachgoers and waterfront guests of an emergency situation.  Cape May City's remote location makes it imperative that everything possible be done to alert the community early during an emergency to keep the public informed and so that evacuation can occur in an orderly manner."

The public address system will serve the entire waterfront which extends from Third Avenue to Wilmington Avenue, a distance of approximately 2.3 miles.  The Communications System will be managed from the Beach Patrol Headquarters located at the Grant Street beach and would be able to be controlled remotely from Police Headquarters or from a mobile command station.

There have been many opportunities when such a system would be useful.  In the last decade a Navy helicopter crashed in the ocean requiring evacuation.  Banner planes have gone down from time to time as well.  Lightning storms, too, require the public safety officials to evacuate the beaches.  In addition, homeland security, coastal storms, flooding, hurricanes, and nor'easters require the emergency management personnel to communicate with the public.  In August 2011 the entire City was evacuated; an emergency communication system along the entire beach area would certainly help during these emergencies.

The grant was provided by the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety through the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program.