4,800 Still Without Power As Manchester Cleans Up After Isaias

MANCHESTER, NJ — More than 4,800 homes in Manchester remained without electric service Wednesday evening as the township and state continued to clean up the damage caused when Tropical Storm Isaias tore through New Jersey on Tuesday.

Trees and power lines were brought down by the storm, which packed wind gusts up to 75 mph in nearby Berkeley Township. Thousands were without power Tuesday night, and by Wednesday morning there were just over 12,000 homes still without service, about 75 percent of the town, Mayor Ken Palmer said in a morning update.

By evening, Jersey Central Power & Light had restored two-thirds of those homes.

The company told state officials that power restoration could take until the end of the weekend, because of the extent of the damage. Even the electric transmission system suffered significant damage, said Joseph Fiordaliso, president of the state Board of Public Utilities. Read more: NJ Power Restoration May Take Until End Of The Weekend: Official

JCP&L has brought in crews from out of state to help with the repairs, and Palmer said some of them were anticipated to be in Manchester on Wednesday.

In addition to the 4,800 homes in Manchster, there were 32 homes in Lakehurst still without power as well.

Residents without power can get free ice and water at the ShopRite of Manchester, provided by JCP&L.

For residents who got the debris cleanup underway, the township has set up special curbside brush pickup dates starting next week.

Brush can be no larger than 4 inches in diameter and in manageable sizes and must be placed curbside. Here is the schedule:

• Aug. 10: Zones 4A and 4B
• Aug. 13: Zones 3A, 3B, Cedar Glen West and Leisure Ridge
• Aug. 17: Zones 2A,2B and River Pointe
• Aug. 20: Zone 1 and Lennar
• Aug. 24: Renaissance and Cedar Glen Homes
• Aug. 27: Pine Ridge, Pine Ridge south
• Aug. 31: Cedar Glen Lakes
• Sept. 2: Crestwood Village 7, Whiting Station, Country Walk and the Meadows
• Sept. 8: Crestwood Villages 6, 5 and 4
• Sept. 9: Crestwood Villages 3, 2 and 1
• Sept. 14: Leisure Knoll

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