Newark Residents Wait Days for Power after Rare Snowstorm

Joseph Morris said he spent a week without power after Tropical Storm Irene in August. So, when Saturday's freak October nor'easter pounded New Jersey and left hundreds of thousands without electricity, the Newark resident was ready.

"It's dark, but you survive," said the 44-year-old as he pointed to his orange-brick home in the city's West Ward neighborhood, where he was still without power Monday morning. The ward was considered by some officials as one of the hardest-hit areas in Newark because of its shrubbery.

On Monday, dozens of downed trees and power lines littered the neighborhood's streets as utility company crews worked to restore electricity to thousands of households. Yellow police tape marked fallen debris and large tree branches clogged some roads.

Saturday's storm dumped 5.2 inches of snow on Newark — a rarity for October, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists said the snow weighed down tree branches and power lines, forcing them to snap.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker said crews are working nonstop throughout the city to clear roads and repair power lines. He did not know how many city households were without power Monday.

Officials with Public Service Electric & Gas, which manages a majority of Newark's electricity, did not have a total outage number for the city, but said more than 150,000 of its customers were without power in New Jersey.

About three blocks from Morris' home, PSE&G workers cut branches and replaced wires.

"I just got back from vacation," one employee said. "It's been nonstop. A lot of problems."

Newark Councilman Ronald C. Rice, who represents the West Ward, tweeted Monday morning that the storm was "worse than Irene."

Rice said PSE&G officials told him power may not be restored in the ward — and elsewhere in the city — until Wednesday.

Statewide, the storm blacked out more than 600,000 people Saturday and Sunday, forced Gov. Chris Christie to declare a state of emergency, closed hundreds of schools Monday and even pressured some town mayors to reschedule trick-or-treating Monday night for Halloween.

Booker said he has no plans to cancel the holiday's festivities, "We really just want people to use common sense and caution."

Meanwhile, Morris said he plans to eat out and work while he waits for power to return.

"There's a local Jamaican restaurant down the street," he said. "They have power."