UPDATED: Galloway Middle School Now Cooling Center for Atlantic County

became a cooling center to be used by Atlantic County as of 11 a.m. July 1. The school had been used to house township residents, many from Countryside Meadows. The power at Countryside Meadows has been restored, and those residents are now being transported back to their apartment complex.

An American Red Cross representative on site Sunday afternoon said 62 residents stayed overnight at the school Saturday night, and a total of 75 residents from Galloway, Egg Harbor Township and Absecon had checked in between 1 p.m. Saturday and just before 2 p.m. Sunday.

Chief Patrick Moran estimated that between 50 and 60 percent of the residents and businesses in the township have seen their power restored. Late Saturday afternoon, estimated that most residents without power would see their power restored by the end of the day July 4, with the rest seeing power restored by the end of the week.

"Things are improving," Moran said. "The electric is on in a lot more areas, but it's still spotty."

At the height of the storm, 206,000 residents were without power, and by Saturday night, 106,000 residents in Atlantic County still following what meteorologists have labeled a "derecho," that tore through the Mid-Atlantic Region Friday night with winds at about 70 miles per hour.

Moran said the police department is still being flooded by calls.

"Many of the calls are repeat calls. We ask that everyone be patient," Moran said. "Many of the calls are for downed trees and people asking why their power still hasn't been restored."

Moran said electrical briefings are not taking place on a regular basis.

As for the department not having officers at intersections where lights weren't working on Saturday, Moran clarified that there were temporary stop signs at these locations.

"I picked them up personally," Moran said of the signs. "They were up by noon. They were stop signs that aren't regularly there, so people may have come to an intersection looking for a light and not seen the sign, but they were there."

He said as the lights were restored at each of the intersections in the township, the signs were removed.

The State of Emergency continued for Atlantic County on Sunday as the county issued an Elevated Emergency Alert.

With the addition of the middle school, the list of county-run cooling centers is as follows, according to the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness:

*Atlantic City - Police Athletic League - PAL
*Absecon - Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
*Buena Vista Twp. - Town Hall
*Collings Lakes - Fire Department
*Corbin City - City Hall
*Dorothy - Fire Department
*Margate - Martin Bloom Center
*Minotola - Fire Department
*Richland - Fire Department
*Somers Point - Dawes Avenue School