O&R Crew Works to Repair Lines above Gilbert Ave.

Hurricane Irene knocked a large tree down onto power lines above Gilbert Avenue in Pearl River near the entrance to Pearl River Middle School.

The tree has been removed and Orange and Rockland crews are working on repairing the lines, which could be up by the end of the night, restoring power to hundreds of customers.

"Often damage like that on a primary line, that feeds a lot of people," said Maria Pollard of O&R. "If we can get that back on, we can really restore power to a lot of folks."

As of 5 p.m., 5,900 people in Rockland County were still without power. That number dropped when power was restored to Pearl River Middle School and much of the surrounding area at approximately 6:15 p.m.

Locker day is still on as planned for Pearl River Middle School Wednesday.