Local Volunteers Honored for Service During Hurricane Irene

Local volunteers recently attended the Governor's "Thank You" awards recognition, including Aberdeen resident Diana Noble and Matawan resident Duncan Wiedman.

Both volunteers are members of the Red Cross Volunteers from the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, which is based in Tinton Falls.

There were 1,800 National Guards, Fire, Polics, EMS, CERT and various community volunteers in attendance. According to Noble, Christie told the volunteers that they helped to get 1.5 million people mobilized off of the beaches to safety.

During Hurricane Irene, , one at the Ritacco Center in Toms River and a second at the Colts Neck High School.

Noble and Weidman were just two of many local volunteers who dedicated an enormous amount of time to ensuring the safety of the community.

In both Matawan and Aberdeen, the Office of Emergency Management set up a command station within the police department. All of the fire departments and EMS departments were manned throughout the night with volunteers ready to take action and Aberdeen's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) was on standy. 

"One of the things that was most astonishing to me in dealing with this incredibly serious natural disastor for this state was the thousands and thousands of volunteers who stepped up in incredible ways across the state," Gov. Chris Christie said to the audience of volunteers and emergency personnel. "It's so easy to become dispondent."

According to the Asbury Park Press, approximately 25,000 people went to shelters during the storm and 26 Red Cross and Salvation Army mobile feeding units distributed 420,000 meals and 3,000 gallons of water.