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South Jersey Practices For Shore Evacuation, Just In Case

By David Madden

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) --  New Jersey State Police and road crews are taking part in an evacuation drill, simulating a mass movement of people from the South Jersey shore.

No roads have been closed by the drills, which will wind down by mid to late afternoon. But drivers can see increased activity along major highways like route 47 and the Atlantic City Expressway.

This is the second year a drill of this scale has been conducted, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. "We're doing it once again," says New Jersey Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Schapiro, " implementing some lessons learned from last year as well as refining our ability to get the work done quickly and efficiently and get people out of harm's way safely."

If such a plan were ever implemented, major roads would be taken one way away from the shore. While the state is confident in its ability to get people out if they had to, Shapiro says it doesn't hurt to practice.

"You really never know until you're out there doing it how long does it take to load the equipment onto the trucks and what problems might pop up that are unforeseen."

Before Sandy hit, these drills were more of an in office exercise. Now the state wants to be sure of response time, particularly in the summer, when the tourists are out.

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