JCP&L: Nor'easter Cut Power To 55,000 Customers, With Ocean, Monmouth Hardest Hit; Restoration Ongoing

About 55,000 customers — roughly 100,000 people — were without power at some point over the last 24 hours due to the nor'easter, and Jersey Central Power & Light officials said all but about 1,000 of them have had their power restored as of Tuesday morning.

Winds that gusted to as much as 60 mph brought down trees and power lines throughout New Jersey, with Monmouth and Ocean counties hit the hardest, the company said in a news release. At the peak, more than 30,000 customers — homes and businesses — were without power, with the majority of them small, scattered outages.

The company said the strong winds and heavy rain hampered efforts to restore service, making it too dangerous for personnel to go up in the air. JCP&L currently anticipates that the remaining customers without power will be restored by late this evening, the news release said.

More than 1,100 JCP&L personnel and contractors were deployed Monday and have been working around the clock as part of the restoration effort. In addition, approximately 260 additional FirstEnergy line workers, hazard responders and contractors from Ohio are traveling to New Jersey to provide assistance, the company said.

Customers who are without power in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties can pick up ice and water free of charge at the following locations:

In Ocean County:

• Acme Markets, 18 Broadway Rd, Browns Mills
• Acme Markets, Rt 35 & Washington Ave, Ortley Beach
• Shop-Rite, 427-429 Atlantic City Blvd, Bayville
• Shop-Rite 260 County Line Rd, Jackson
• Shop-Rite, 328 US Hwy 9, Lanoka Harbor
• Shop-Rite, Manchester Plaza, Rt 70, Lakehurst
• Shop-Rite, 860 Fischer Blvd, Toms River
• Shop-Rite, 100 Town Center Blvd, Waretown
• Saker Shop-Rite, Rt 37 W, Toms River
• Saker Shop-Rite, 668 Rt 70, Brick

In Monmouth County:

• Acme Markets, 576 River Rd, Fair Haven
• Acme Markets, 3241 Rt 9, Freehold
• Acme Markets, 616 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft
• Acme Markets, 507 Prospect Ave, Little Silver
• Acme Markets, 990 Shrewsbury Ave, Tinton Falls
• Acme Markets, 2007 Rt 35, Wall Township
• Saker Shop-Rite, 3140 Rd, 35 S, Hazlet
• Saker Shop-Rite, 4594 Rt 9 S, Howell
• Saker Shop-Rite, 2200 Rt 66, Neptune
• Saker Shop-Rite, 3585 Rt 9, Freehold
• Saker Shop-Rite, Rt 36 & Rt 71, West Long Branch
• Saker Shop-Rite, 1361 Hwy 35, Middletown
• Saker Shop-Rite, 2433 Rt 34, Manasquan
• Saker Shop-Rite, 1801 Rt 35, Wall Township
• Saker Shop-Rite, 3585 Hwy 9, Freehold
• Saker Shop-Rite, 280 Rt 9 N, Morganville
• Saker Shop-Rite, 318 Lloyd Rd, Aberdeen
• Food Circus, 1732 Rt 35, Wall Township
• Food Circus, 9 Rt 36, Atlantic Highlands
• Food Circus, 362 Broad St, Red Bank
• Food Circus, 2204 Rt 35 & Sea Girt Ave, Sea Girt
• Food Circus, 426 Rt 36, Port Monmouth

In Middlesex/Mercer counties:

• Acme Markets, 3505 Rt 9, Old Bridge
• Saker Shop-Rite, 319 Rt 130 N, Hightstown
• Saker Shop-Rite, 2909 Washington Rd, Parlin

If you have a power outage, call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report it or click the “Report Outage” link on www.firstenergycorp.com. Immediately report downed wires to 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or your local police or fire department. Never go near a downed power line, even if you think it is no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be exercised in areas where downed wires may be tangled in downed tree branches or other debris.

For additional information, follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL, or online at www.jcp-l.com.

Image via Shutterstock