Is a blizzard coming? No, it's just Pope Francis preparations in South Jersey

As Pope Francis prepares to make his way to Philadelphia, South Jersey is ramping up for what is expected to be several days of excitement and uncertainty.

The warning signs are all there. Don't drive if you can avoid it. Stock up on supplies.

You'd think South Jersey was preparing for a major snow storm, but we're not.

As Pope Francis prepares to make his way to Philadelphia, the region is ramping up for what is expected to be several days of excitement and uncertainty.

The uncertainty has to do with just what we can expect on our roads as the faithful flock to Philly to see the pontiff. Will feared traffic gridlock paralyze transportation in South Jersey?

Gov. Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency for the occasion, clearing the way for various law enforcement and planning agencies to collaborate and respond to any problems that may arise. That could include everything from altering traffic patterns to calling in the National Guard.

It looks a bit like the steps taken as a hurricane works its way up the Atlantic Coast or a blizzard bears down on the Garden State.

The region's hospitals are ensuring staff can get to work. Traffic signs posted around South Jersey warn motorist to plan ahead and emergency management officials are gearing up for anything.

Transportation

With roughly 2 million people expected to descend on Philadelphia, New Jersey transportation officials say the region could see an additional 250,000 cars and 10,000 buses on area roadways.

The Ben Franklin Bridge will be shut to motor vehicle traffic starting Friday night and will remain closed until sometime Monday. Pilgrims will walk across the bridge to events in Philadelphia. Camden has set aside 8,500 parking spots at the waterfront, but drivers must preregister for these spaces. Mass transit routes will shuttle travelers into Philadelphia.

All of this means motorists are warned to expect traffic jams on major arteries throughout the region. In fact, state officials warn of potential gridlock within 50 miles of Philadelphia during the weekend.

The state Department of Transportation will provide live traffic updates via Twitter at @511NJ_Papal. 

"It's an all-hands-on-deck type of weekend for us," said DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro. The agency will staff its Cherry Hill traffic center, which monitors traffic conditions around South Jersey, throughout the pope's visit.

DOT safety service patrol vehicles will be out in force along area roadways to help motorists with flats and those who run out of gas. This expanded coverage will help keep roadway shoulders cleared for emergency vehicles, Schapiro noted.

The DOT's advice to motorists this weekend?

"If you're going to events, take mass transit," Schapiro said. "Driving should be your last option."

Plenty of tickets are still available for regional rail service into Philadelphia, Schapiro added. 

Those not planning to attend papal events should probably plan ahead to avoid having to drive. If you can get your grocery shopping done early, do it.

"It's probably best to avoid any unnecessary driving," he said.

Emergency Management

Emergency management officials are trying to prepare for any eventuality and are coordinating with law enforcement, hospitals and transportation agencies to handle anything from heavy traffic to an evacuation.

Camden County is at the heart of New Jersey's planning for the pope's visit.

"We've been working for about a year," said Rob Blaker, Camden County's director of public safety. In all, the county is working with 25 law enforcement and public safety entities to organize plans and will open a joint operations center in Lindenwold at 8 a.m. Friday. That center will operate 24 hours a day through noon Monday. This center will remain in contact with its Pennsylvania counterpart throughout the pope's visit.

In planning for an event of this scale, officials take an "all-hazards" approach to preparing for any eventuality, Blaker noted. The same type of operation was in place when New Jersey hosted the Superbowl in January. "You have to cover all the bases from A to Z and everything in between," he said.

Blaker was upbeat about the cooperation between various agencies involved in security preparations and is excited for the pope's visit. "It's just going to be a nice event," he said, adding that plenty of parking is still available in Camden as are tickets for PATCO. "You can hop on PATCO and go non-stop into Philadelphia," he said.

Officers have spent months training and preparing for this event, noted Camden County Sheriff's Captain John Fetzer. While the security presence will be substantial, that's no reason for attendees to be worried. "That should make them feel good -- and safe," Fetzer said.

As for the need for heightened security, though, that's just the post-9/11 reality, Fetzer noted. "We have to prepare for these things."

Health care

The Red Cross in New Jersey is working with various agencies at the state and local levels to offer humanitarian services during the pope's visit, explained Red Cross spokeswoman Laura Steinmetz. That includes water stations at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge for walkers and a "family reunification service station" at the EZPass toll plaza on the bridge. This will help families reconnect if attendees become separated in crowds. 

Some Cooper University Hospital staffers will be on hand at medical aid stations set up in the Camden area.

"Regional emergency planners will have several medical aid stations in Camden and some Cooper staff will help staff those units," said Wendy Marano, spokeswoman for Cooper University Health Care. "As southern New Jersey's only state-designated level 1 trauma center, Cooper is fully prepared to provide any needed services."

Given Cooper's proximity to the Ben Franklin Bridge and Philadelphia, hospital officials have planned both for how they will staff the hospital and how they will accommodate hospital visitors during the pope's visit.

"We've had a task force meeting for several months to plan for the pope's visit and the impact it will have on staff and visitors," Marano said. "We have made some arrangements to lodge some key staff overnight as needed over the weekend. A shuttle bus will also be available to staff over the weekend."

Paul Sarnese, assistant vice president of safety and security for Virtua Health System, which also operates a hospital in Camden, said Virtua has also increased its staff and delivery of supplies to ensure no shortages. 

"We've followed a lot of the procedures we typically would for a weather event," Sarnese said, noting that, as with a snow storm, employees could have difficulty getting to work. "We are also offering our staff overnight accommodations to make this weekend a little more manageable."

Virtua has also rescheduled its home care visiting schedule to reach all home patients before Thursday this week

With so many visitors expected to pass through the region, Virtua will also consider expanding hours and staffing at its urgent care centers if demand warrants, Sarnese noted.

Kennedy Health, which operates hospitals in Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township, is applying "all-hazards" planning to this event, explained Kim Cavallaro, corporate director of safety and security with Kennedy. The idea is to try and plan for any kind of emergency, she said.

"It covers so much more than just storm planning, Cavallaro said.

In addition to increased staffing, making sure staff can get to work and pre-ordering extra supplies, Kennedy is establishing chemical decontamination facilities at its hospitals and setting up redundant communication systems to ensure the hospital can stay in touch with its personnel and other agencies involved in supporting the event.

"Kennedy is taking this very seriously," Cavallaro said. "We understand the need to be prepared."

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.