UPDATED: Storm Hits Verona, Cedar Grove; Cops Say Don’t Go Out

VERONA, NJ — Verona and Cedar Grove suffered downed wires, power outages and snow-laden roadways after a Wednesday storm wreaked havoc throughout the area.

Here are Thursday’s storm updates in the two towns.

VERONA

In Verona, local police warned residents about venturing outside on Thursday.

“Dangerous situations throughout town,” the Verona Police Department stated at 7:09 a.m. “Stay away from all wires. Trees still falling.”

“We do not recommend outdoor activities, especially with children,” the Verona Police Department stated in an update at 8:27 a.m.

Verona police issued another update at 1:40 p.m.:

"For those without power, the Verona Community Center will open at 2 p.m. today for warming as well as recharging cell phones and will remain open until 10:30 p.m. this evening.While we understand that the downed tree limbs are an issue, please refrain from bringing them to the curb at this time. When we are complete with our cleanup, we will address the broken limbs. Street parking is still prohibited until all snow removal operations are complete. If you need to park your vehicles, vehicles can be parked at the Verona Community Pool.Garbage collection will resume tomorrow for the regular Friday route only (Northside). There is no make-up for the missed collection today. Please place garbage out tonight as collection will begin as early as 5 a.m."

Verona police added:

"PSE&G actively working in town. Expect intermittent outages while they tend to emergencies. Continue to stay away from all down and low-hanging wires."

Verona Schools Superintendent Rui Dionisio released the following Twitter statement on Thursday:

"Please stay inside. Many Verona locations w down power lines and outages. VPS working to clear schools. VPD & Public Works working with @PSEGNews to restore power to homes and some schools. Trying to get us back to normal asap."

Dionisio said that power was down at Verona High School and H. B. Whitehorne Middle School, but added that personnel were "working hard to get schools ready ASAP."

CEDAR GROVE

The Cedar Grove Police Department said that tree wires and limbs were down throughout the township, and urged residents to stay away from all downed wires. PSE&G has been notified about the issues, the CGPD stated.

Police issued the following advisory at 8:48 a.m. on Thursday:

“The Township is continuing in the process of clearing roadways and removing downed tree limbs. Residents should use caution around downed wires. Treat all wires as though they are energized. We have been in constant communication with PSE&G, phone and cable TV providers. Due to the volume of calls, they are unable to provide us with an estimated time of repair. Please stay off the roadways and do not park vehicles on the street so that the plows can clear the roadways. Township ordinance prohibits throwing snow into the roadways. The Cedar Grove Fire Department is requesting that residents clear hydrants near their residence.”

Verona and Cedar Grove weren’t the only Essex County towns hit hard by the storm. Flights were canceled in Newark, car crashes were reported in Millburn, downed power lines were seen in Maplewood and Livingston and trees were down in Montclair. Check out the below article for more examples of storm damage and issues in Essex County.

• See related article: Essex County Sees Crashes, Outages, Bad Roads

PSE&G: 80,000 LOSE POWER

If you lost power during the storm, you weren’t the only one. PSE&G said that about 80,000 of its 2.2 million customers were without power as a result of yesterday’s storm.

According to PSE&G:

Working overnight and this morning, the utility has restored about 190,000 customers since the storm began.

• Heavy, wet snow brought down large trees, branches and wires across PSE&G’s service territory. Electric service crews worked through the night and will continue to work in difficult conditions to restore outages as safely and as quickly as possible.
• The restoration process will likely take several days given the damage from falling trees that will need to be cleared. The utility is mobilizing additional employees to help with damage assessment so that it can better determine restoration times. We ask our customers to be patient as we deal with these difficult conditions and work to safely restore power.
• PSE&G’s 16 walk-in customer service centers are expected to open at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything that it might be in contact with.
• To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline powered engine, including generators and snow blowers, in a garage or any other enclosed space. Clear snow from dryer and hot water heater vents.
• PSE&G encourages customers to report downed wires and power outages by logging in to My Account on www.pseg.com, texting the word “OUT” to 4PSEG, or calling PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG.
• The utility offers customers a number of ways to stay in touch and informed before, during and after a storm. These tools can be found at PSE&G’s mobile-friendly website www.pseg.com in the “Storm Center.” Updated every 15 minutes, PSE&G’s mobile-friendly “Outage Map” displays the location and status of power outages.

Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Verona-Cedar Grove Facebook page.

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File Photo: Eric Kiefer