Imagine a terrorist attack in north Jersey had forced the closure of highways and led to a quarantine zone, or a hurricane was headed straight for Long Beach Island. Where would you call for up-to-date, accurate information on what to do and where to go in your particular neighborhood? The next time a crisis occurs in the Garden State, either natural or man-made, residents can get non-emergency help by dialing 2-1-1 on their telephones. The state has adapted the existing 2-1-1 phone hot line, which started last year to connect callers with human services information, to handle calls from people wondering what to do in an emergency, yet not requiring immediate rescue help. “We are taking an important step toward improving the flow of information during times of emergency or heightened alert,” said Gov. Jon Corzine. “By expanding the state’s existing 2-1-1 telephone system, New Jersey’s residents will have an easy-to-remember number to call for information on how to proceed in the face of everything from terrorism threats to natural disasters.” The plan is designed to ease the burden on 9-1-1 operators and local police dispatchers, who will already be swamped with calls directly related to the emergency. The 2-1-1 line is geared toward getting out information such as evacuation routesa, or advice on where to find food and shelter. The system still has some bugs to be worked out, however. During a chemical emergency Tuesday afternoon in Elizabeth, in which more than 50 people were sickened by a noxious cloud and a wide area was cordoned off, a reporter who called the 2-1-1 hot line was told there was no information available on the situation there. “We wouldn’t have any information on that,” an operator told the reporter. “We’re an information line for social services. You might want to call to the Elizabeth Health Department.” After being notified of the response given by the 2-1-1 operator, the state homeland security department fixed the problem by giving operators information on the Elizabeth situation, a spokesman said. There has been a nationwide push for several years to extend 2-1-1 to every state, but the proposal has bogged down in Congress over funding. When Hurricane Katrina knocked out New Orleans’ 2-1-1 service last year, a neighboring county handled hundreds of calls from displaced residents looking for help. Karen Hyatt, a United Way disaster preparedness manager who worked in Louisiana, said calls to the line surged after the storm. “People were calling to report people still on roofs, people were calling looking for help with missing relatives,” she said. “And in Texas after Katrina hit, the authorities posted road signs all along the evacuation route listing 2-1-1 as the number to call for current and accurate shelter information.”