Update: 'Multi Day' Effort To Restore Power In Morris

MORRISTOWN, NJ—With more than one third of Morristown customers among the 120,000 homes in the county without power after Tropical Storm Isaias, utilities and tree services scrambled to repair damage caused by high winds and rain.

"We currently expect that this will be a multi-day restoration effort," said Cliff Cole, a Jersey Central Power & Light spokesman. The utility supplies electricity to a large part of northern and central New Jersey. "As the weather calms down, crews will continue to assess damage in order to provide estimated restoration times."

With the temperature hovering near 90 degrees, JCP&L announced Wednesday that customers without power would receive free water and ice at various locations throughout Morris County.

The Morristown Department of Public Safety said the storm damaged power lines and "numerous streets are blocked or impassable." The township had no estimate for when the streets will be cleared. Cole added that additional line workers, damage assessors, forestry contractors, and support personnel were on the way to help from non-affected areas.