UPDATE: As Sandy Passes, Local Officials Deal With The Impact

And now the cleanup begins..

On Monday, Manchester police reported some roadway flooding due to clogged drains, though the low flood zones still are "holding up well," according to Capt. Lisa Parker.

Township Department of Public Works personnel are responding to various locations to correct the drainage issues, the captain said. 

Parker underscored that residents should remain sheltered in their homes for the duration of the storm, which is expected to become more severe as the day goes on.

"People should make every attempt to stay off the roadways until the storm passes," she said.

Winds have toppled trees in both the eastern and western sections of Manchester, according to Parker. 

An uprooted tree caused minor structural damage to a Carteret Lane home in Whiting. The occupant, who was not injured, will not need to be displaced, Parker said. 

In Pine Lake Park, a trees in the front yard of a home on the 1800 block of 8th Avenue were uprooted, according to Parker.

EARLIER: Officials in Manchester and Lakehurst ask that residents stay home and remain off roads, if possible, as Sandy moves closer to the region. 

The strongest winds and highest seas from Sandy are expected Monday afternoon and night, according to a National Weather Service forecast. Wind gusts in upwards of 80 m.p.h are possible.

While no official ban on travel has been issued, the police chiefs of both municipalities are advising residents to shelter at home as conditions deteriorate.

"Most businesses are closed," said Lakehurst Chief of Police Eric Higgins. "I am asking everyone to stay at home."

Manchester Chief of Police Brian Klimakowski said that traffic has been light Monday morning and he hopes that residents will stay home as Sandy draws closer this afternoon. 

Some business as of Monday morning are open. Manchester ShopRite, for example, was not busy but was open and would remain so until it was no longer possible, a manager said.

Schools in Lakehurst and Manchester will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, officials announced over the weekend. 

Higgins said that his department, like Manchester, will have extra manpower during Sandy. At the height of the storm, officers likely will travel in a fire truck, along with fire and first aid personnel, should they be called to an emergency, Higgins said.

On Sunday, officials from Manchester and Lakehurst met to coordinate a storm response. Some residents living near flood-prone areas in the Surf and Stream campground and Cedar Glen, areas where waters entered some homes when Tropical Storm Irene struck last year, were alerted to leave.

Klimakowski said that he will be sweeping roads throughout the township to monitor conditions. A police department patrol car was spotted parked near the beach at Pine Lake Monday morning.

Flooding typically does not happen in Lakehurst, Higgins said, though the borough's public works department did lower Lake Horicon over the weekend. Manchester officials were working Sunday to lower Pine Lake. 

Some homeless individuals in Lakehurst were taken to a shelter in Jackson, Higgins said, and other residents in mobile homes were advised by police that it may be safer for them to relocate during the storm. 

Both Manchester and Lakehurst officials ask that residents who may need to evacuate because of medical conditions call police for assistance. Lakehurst police can be reached at 732-657-7811; Manchester can be contacted at 732-657-6111.

More information on preparations can be found here.