New Jersey – More than 21,800 customers served by JCP&L remained without power Tuesday after a series of storms and nearly four days of rain caused widespread outages across the utility’s service territory. Restoration efforts continued as some communities dealt with downed trees, damaged power lines, and saturated ground that complicated repair work.
The largest concentration of outages was reported in Morris County, where more than 8,000 customers were without electricity. Significant outages also remained in Sussex County, Union County, Hunterdon County, Warren County, Somerset County, and Monmouth County.
Morris County reports highest number of outages
JCP&L’s outage data showed Morris County leading the state with 8,086 customers without service, representing nearly 3.9% of customers served. Union County had the highest percentage of customers affected, with 1,790 outages, or about 6.3% of its customer base.
Sussex County reported 2,654 customers without power, followed by Hunterdon County with 1,561, Warren County with 1,578, Somerset County with 1,549, and Monmouth County with 1,458. Smaller outages continued in Ocean, Essex, Passaic, Mercer, and Middlesex counties.
State monitoring restoration efforts
The prolonged stretch of rain that began Friday left saturated soil across much of the state, increasing the risk of trees toppling onto power lines during periods of gusty winds. Utility crews continued working to repair damaged infrastructure and restore electricity to affected neighborhoods.
In a statement Tuesday, the governor’s office said the state has activated a coordinated response to the ongoing storm recovery.
“Governor Sherrill has activated a whole-of-government response, with agencies and departments working with local partners to assess their needs and coordinate resources to recover from severe heat and violent storms over this holiday weekend,” the statement said. “The Administration is also holding utility companies accountable and ensuring they are doing everything to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”
The statement added that New Jersey Transit has restored a majority of its service after crews worked through the weekend and said state officials remain in constant communication with utility providers. “The Governor has been clear that this work will not stop until everyone’s power is restored.”
The NJGOP slammed Sherrill saying, “Thousands of New Jersey families remain without power. Where was Governor Sherrill? Our mayors, first responders, public works crews, and utility workers are on the front lines, and yet our Governor is nowhere to be found.”
Sherrill is also facing GOP backlash for not declaring a state of emergency. Republicans criticized former Governor Phil Murphy for declaring natural disasters for rainstorms and snowfall.
JCP&L has not released a timetable covering every remaining outage, and restoration times may vary depending on the extent of damage in each community. Customers are encouraged to report outages through the utility’s website or mobile app and to stay clear of any downed power lines.
Key Points
- More than 21,800 JCP&L customers remained without power Tuesday following storms that began Friday.
- Morris County had the highest number of outages with 8,086 customers affected, while Union County had the highest percentage of customers without service.
- The governor’s office said a whole-of-government response remains underway and that utilities are being held accountable as restoration efforts continue.
