Limited State Of Emergency In West Windsor For Outages: Police

WEST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, NJ — Due to the ongoing power outages, a limited State of Emergency has been declared in West Windsor, police said on Tuesday. Under this limited emergency, Fire and Emergency Services Director Jim Yates is asking that travel in the areas hit hardest by Monday night's storm around Old Trenton Road be restricted.

The declaration was made as issues related to Monday night's storms lingered on Tuesday. Police previously said they were likely to linger into the Tuesday evening rush hour. Some residents without power aren't likely to have it until Wednesday morning.

Additional emergency service personnel and officers have been brought in to make sure all residents affected by the outage have an extra level of security and safety, according to West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo.

They are also ready t respond to any emergency medical situations that might arise, Garofalo said.

There are about 8,000 people without power in Mercer County Tuesday afternoon. In West Windsor, there are over 3,000 PSE&G customers and over 1,200 JCP&L customers in the dark. Track outages using PSE&G and JCP&L's outage maps.

The PSE&G outages are the result of the Clarksville and Penns Neck substations being out. PSE&G is working on it, and the estimated restoration times for both is 12:30 p.m.

The JCP&L outages are due to downed trees on Hankins Road. There is no estimated restoration time for JCP&L customers, as the electric company is still assessing the damage. However, restoration is not likely before Wednesday morning, police said.

"The Mayor and I have been in direct communication with JCP&L's direct Law Enforcement Liaisons," Garofalo said. "JCPL has identified multiple problems in the circuits affecting West Windsor. Several poles, trees and wires are down. JCPL has been actively assessing the resources they need to quickly repair those areas most affected. In our conversations, JCPL had a very good grasp on what was needed to complete repairs. The Mayor and I along with the Business Administrator and the Director of Emergency Services will continue to monitor their progress and will continue to follow up on repairs."

JCP&L will be providing another update directly to the mayor at 5:30 p.m., Garofalo said.

Power has been restored to the Clarksville Road area, police said. Washington Road has been reopened, but Alexander Road remains closed and is expected to stay closed into the evening rush hour.

West Windsor police provided a link to their traffic/damage Google Map, which shows the real-time hazards known to the police department. The map is limited to wires and poles that are down, and traffic lights that are out for now.

"There are still several tree, wires, and poles down," police said. "Remember, if you see a wire down always assume it is live and do not touch it. ... We have several extra officers working in order to handle the influx of calls relating to power outage issues. We as that you please refrain from calling 911 for restoration estimates or power outage questions UNLESS you have a life threatening emergency."

The West Windsor Senior Center is open, but classes and the bus are cancelled.