Sampson: "Inadequate Preparation" at Colts Neck HS as Irene Evacuation Site

Superintendent Charles Sampson took time during his report at the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education meeting Monday night to discuss the events that took place at Colts Neck High School during Hurricane Irene several weeks ago. prior to the hurricane, and took in over one thousand evacuees from around the area.

The Thursday before the hurricane struck New Jersey, the district received a phone call asking if Colts Neck High School could serve as a secondary evacuation site, Sampson said.

“Of course, we said yes. Our schools have all been reviewed as shelter areas, and what that really necessitated was that our buildings and grounds crew had to really get on top of that site,” Sampson said, adding that they did not know how to plan to accommodate an unknown number of evacuees.

The American Red Cross arrived at the high school early Saturday morning on Aug. 27. Diana Noble of the Jersey Coast Chapter of the Red Cross was the shelter manager on Saturday when the site first opened.

“This case was a little more stressful because many of the populations evacuated by bus didn’t even know they were at Colts Neck High School, they had gone to another shelter first and this was an overflow,” Noble said.

James Byrnes, the Director of Facilities and Buildings and Grounds, was on site by 6:45 a.m. and Business Administrator and Board Secretary Sean P. Boyce arrived at the high school at 9:30 a.m., Sampson said. Both Boyce and Byrnes provided the superintendent with regular updates as to what was going on at the high school.

“I have to say, first and foremost, that neither one of them needed to be there, it’s not in their job description to be there during this event” Sampson said in regard to Byrnes’ and Boyce’s presence at the high school.

As the day progressed, the updates became increasingly troublesome, according to Sampson. More and more evacuees from all over Monmouth County were bussed into the evacuation center “and there was inadequate preparation to deal with the folks who were coming in,” the superintendent said.

By the early afternoon, over 200 people sought refuge at the high school - including people with severe medical issues, people from group homes, young children, and uncaged pets, Sampson said. Sampson and Colts Neck High School Principal Keith Land arrived at the high school Saturday afternoon to assess the situation and help.

“There was limited security, there was no food and water other than what volunteers from the Red Cross brought with them and what we could raid from the cafeteria supplies,” Sampson said. “And a phone call came in that said we should expect over a thousand folks within the next few hours because other evacuation sites were to capacity.”

“This is the first time I am hearing about there not being enough food,” Ellen Korpar of the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross said. Korpar affirmed that the Red Cross managers count the number of people at the shelter and if a manager puts in a request for more food it is supplied.

Noble also commented that she did not feel there was a lack of security on site, but rather that the local police and sheriff’s department were on site and very helpful, including one member of the sheriff’s department who was bilingual and helped translate for the Spanish-speaking evacuees.

According to Sampson, the organization and logistical planning of the shelter at the high school was largely coordinated by school officials who were not obligated to be there. As a county operation, there were three sheriff’s officers at the high school, which Sampson said was not enough and that more security was consistently requested.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and Colts Neck Mayor James Schatzle helped bring in more sheriff’s later Saturday evening to help “the very dicey situation that could have easily turned into a disaster”, Sampson said.

The power did go out at the high school, but generators were used to create limited electricity. “We were conserving power for people that needed [the electricity] for medical equipment,” Noble said, which had witnessed when she had stopped by the shelter with extra food.

The Superintendent thanked Byrnes for working at the high school for 36 straight hours and presented him with a statue at the meeting as a token of the district’s appreciation for his tireless efforts. Sampson also thanked Principal Land, Boyce, and board members Carl Accetola and Maryanne Tomazic who also volunteered at the high school.

Sampson has asked the Monmouth County Superintendent of schools to request a meeting between county officials, the Red Cross, the Office of Emergency Management and school districts to come up with a better strategy for the next time a school needs to become an evacuation center. Since the district had sufficient time to prepare for the event, he felt it should have been better managed.