Mother Nature's Trick: Storm Cleanup on Halloween

Monday is a unique Halloween for Westwood and Washington Township. Schools are closed, there is snow on the ground and many are without power, all because of a weekend storm that caused downed trees and power lines throughout the area.

Monday morning, many were clearing tree limbs from their properties. Members of the Bocchimo family of Woodfield Road in Washington Township were moving large branches to the curb. Eric said the storm was worse than when Irene hit in August, especially since it caught everyone off guard. His home had lost power, but it was restored by Monday.

According to the latest PSE&G outage map, there are still between 501 and 2,000 customers in Westwood and Washington Township without power. In an update the utility company released at noon, PSE&G said it expects to have 95 percent of its customers restored by midnight Wednesday.

The utility reported about 190,000 customers without power midday Monday, with 87,000 of them in Bergen County. There are 237 crews and 212 tree crews working nonstop to restore electricity, PSE&G reported, along with 60 crews from utilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and 119 mutual aid and contractor crews.

Trees and lawns are littered with storm debris, including downed trees and branches. Many sidewalks are impassable, as are some side streets. Police urge residents who go trick-or-treating Monday to use extreme caution since there are down power lines and trees that will not be cleared before the day is over.

Both Westwood and Washington Township have curfews in effect Monday at 9 p.m., when children under 18 must be inside. The will have extra officers out on patrol.

Members of the will be out collecting storm debris all week, but residents must make sure tree limbs are four feet in length for pickup.

Both area libraries are open Monday, as are supermarkets and . The in Washington Township also has power and is offering guest passes through Nov. 2.