Day Four: Thousands Still Powerless In Morris, Sussex After Storm

NORTH JERSEY, NJ - Another cold sunrise awaits many in Morris and Sussex Thursday as the power outage caused by the slow-moving storm that churned through the area early this week stretches into a fourth day. But according to officials, it should be the last day.

According to JCP&L the lionshare of the outages are statewide are centered in Sussex County, with nearly 10,000 customers without service and Sparta topping the list with over 1,900 without power as of Wednesday night with Andover coming in second with over 1,300 in the dark.

"There is significant tree damage and many road closures, particularly in the Newton and Andover areas, which saw up to 14 inches of snow and, in some places, a quarter inch of ice," JCP&L said in a statement.

According to the Sparta Police, five roads were declared clear from yesterdays list: Andover, Sussex Mills, Alpine, Maple Parkway, Hilltop, and Stanhope. However, there are still significant closures, police said.

The following roads are still obstructed or closed:

• West Mountain - no change in status/ Access from 94 to Greenfield Hill still OK.
• Glen Road
• Houses Corner
• Lafayette Road - passable with tree obstructions.
• Springbrook - now closed at #75 for trees/wires
• Green Road - now closed at Tomahawk Trail for wires in the roadway
• Mccloud - no change in status however, tree has been cut, lines still down.
• Fox Ridge
• Fox Hollow
• Balsam
• West Shore - no change, although passable by local traffic. As we discussed, will be closed by Jcp&l this morning for repairs.
• Sawmill at Maria - Large tree down, work actively being done to clear the road.
• Carriage House Rd - Closed at entrance nearest Stonehedge for trees.
• Columbus - down to one lane due to tree overhanging roadway.
• East Shore - close between Glenside/ beach 6 for trees, however, work actively being done.

The only traffic light not functioning is Main/ Station road. All other lights are currently functioning normally, police said.

Service to most of Sussex County is expected to be restored by 11:30 p.m. Thursday night officials said.

In Morris County, the outages are down to a little over 100 scattered throughout Morris. The balance of Morris County is estimated to be restored between 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. tomorrow, officials said.

Randolph has established warming/charging stations:

• The Community Center at 30 Calais Road will be open until 9 p.m.
• The Randolph Library will be open until 9 p.m.
• The Randolph YMCA will be open until 10 p.m.

JCP&L is offering free water and ice to customers remaining out of service. Customers can pick up water and ice locally at the following locations:

• Shoprite of Bernardsville, 93 Morristown Rd, Bernardsville, NJ
• Shoprite of Chester, 195 Rt 206, Chester, NJ
• Shoprite of Morristown, 178-190 E Hanover Ave
• ShopRite of Mansfield, Rt 57 West and Allen Street, Hackettstown
• Acme Supermarkets, 690 Millbrook Ave. Randolph
• Kings Supermarket, 88 East Main Street. Mendham
• Kings Supermarket, 191 South Street, Morristown

JCP&L noted that their crews work 24/7 to restore service to customers after a storm, and the utility has called in additional support.

"In addition to JCP&L's own crews, line workers from our sister utilities Potomac Edison and Mon Power as well as contractor crews are assisting with restoration efforts," JCP&L said in a statement. "There are also 154 forestry crews working hard to clear tree damage due to the heavy snow and ice."

As power is restored, JCP&L notes that if a resident receives a call or text message indicating that power has been restored but they remain without service, a secondary issue may need to be addressed.

"If this happens, we ask that you re-report your outage. We know this can be frustrating, but confirming your power is still out is key for our crews to continue addressing the cause of your outage.," officials said in a statement.

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