500 Power Outages In Gloucester County Amid Tropical Storm

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ — There are more than 500 power outages in Gloucester County as a tropical storm was expected to directly hit New Jersey on Friday.

A majority of the 523 outages in the county were among PSE&G customers in Deptford (424) and West Deptford (98).

PSE&G said it has extra personnel ready for power outages as a result of the storm that was expected to make a direct hit on the Jersey Shore. All areas of New Jersey will be impacted by mid-to-late afternoon. Indeed, nearly all of New Jersey is in the "cone of uncertainty." Read more here: Tropical Storm Fay In NJ: Timeline, Hour-By-Hour Forecast

“Tropical storms can change rapidly, causing widespread damage,” PSE&G Vice President for Electric Operations Jack Bridges said. “We have crews available to respond to any service interruptions that may occur, and we encourage customers to contact us immediately should they experience an outage.”

A Flood Advisory is in effect for Gloucester County and other areas in South Jersey and Pennsylvania until 3 p.m. Up to one inch of rain has already fallen on the region.

Some locations that could experience flooding include... Philadelphia, Trenton, Camden, West Chester, Gloucester City, Cherry Hill, Bensalem, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Ewing, Norristown, Chester, Willingboro, Deptford, Voorhees, Medford, West Deptford, Lindenwold, Phoenixville and Lansdale. Additional rainfall is expected into the afternoon and will prolong the minor flooding. This includes the following highways... New Jersey Turnpike between exits 3 and 8A. Pennsylvania Turnpike between mile markers 313 and 359. Northeast Extension between mile markers 21 and 27. Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 2 and 40. Interstate 76 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 327 and 351. Interstate 76 in New Jersey between mile markers 0 and 3. Interstate 195 in New Jersey between mile markers 0 and 21. Interstate 295 in New Jersey between mile markers 18 and 76. Interstate 676 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 0 and 1. Interstate 676 in New Jersey between mile markers 0 and 4. Interstate 476 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 0 and 19.

“PSE&G is prepared to maintain safe, reliable service during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the outbreak, we have adapted our storm and safety procedures to follow public health guidelines and industry best practices. We thank our customers for their patience as we operate under these unusual circumstances to safely restore power, as quickly as possible.”

Customers should be cautious and stay alert to their surroundings during and after storms.
What you can do now:

• Be ready to communicate about your situation.
• Make sure you have a family emergency plan.
• Charge your phones, tablets, power backups and other mobile devices.
• If your mobile service provides a “hotspot” for areas without internet access, learn how to use it.
• Review more storm preparation tips at https://nj.pseg.com/safetyandreliability/stormsafety.

Stay connected with PSE&G:

• Compile a list of emergency phone numbers; include PSE&G Customer Service 1-800-436-PSEG.
• Go to pseg.com/myaccount to sign up to report outages online and to check restoration progress.
• Go to pseg.com/outagecenter to check the “Outage Map,” which is updated every 15 minutes with PSE&G outage information, and to register for MyAlerts to receive text notifications.
• You can report an outage by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734) or via Alexa.
• The new PSE&G mobile app enables customers using Apple or Android devices to securely and easily manage their accounts when and where the customers want to be served.
• “Like” PSEG on Facebook and follow PSEG on Twitter @PSEGdelivers.

Stay away from downed wires:

• Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Stay at least 30 feet away from downed power lines and immediately call PSE&G at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734) or 911 to report downed wires.

Other important safety notes:

• To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline-powered generators in a garage or any other enclosed space.
• If you are on life-sustaining medical equipment, ensure that you alert PSE&G in advance and notify your local police and fire departments. For more information, visit www.pseg.com/life.

Patch will update this breaking news story throughout the day.