UPDATE: JCP&L Restores Power To Many Residents, Issues Restoration Timeline by Street

Update: Wednesday, 11:15 p.m.

As of 11:13 p.m., the most current outage numbers reported by JCP&L are:

• 602 customers without power in New Providence
• 2,270 customers without power in Summit
• 1,519 customers without power in Berkeley Heights
• 524 customers without power in Murray Hill

All district schools are closed again tomorrow, Nov. 3, due to ongoing power outages throughout the borough, according to the school district's web site.

Earlier this evening, the New Providence Office of Emergency Management issued a Code Red Alert, informing residents that "as of 5 p.m., power has been restored to the majority of New Providence downtown and Central Avenue retail, food and fuel establishments and they are open for business."

Borough officials spoke with JCP&L during a conference call at 4 p.m. today and JCP&L reported that 258,000 customers have had their power restored, which represents approximately 75% of reported outages, according to the borough's web site. JCP&L expects to have 95% of customers restored by midnight Thursday, while the remaining customers will have power restored by midnight on Friday.

A document from JCP&L that outlines the power restoration timeline by street in New Providence is also posted on the borough's web site. To view the document, click here.

If you're concerned about disposing of tree branches and limbs that were destroyed during the storm on Saturday, the has set up a chipping program.

Residents can place tree limbs and branches, up to 6 inches in diameter, of any length curbside and the DPW will be working throughout the borough, according to the borough's website. However, if any resident has already hired a landscaper or private contractor to perform the work, the borough advises those residents to ask their private contractors to remove the debris.

As of 4 p.m. today, Union Avenue is open with power restored, according to the borough's website. On Division Avenue, tree work and power company work is being performed.

Power Company vehicles were also observed in the Tall Oaks area of Murray Hill, according to the borough's website. JCP&L was observed working on Whitewood Road, as well as Magnolia Drive and the Runnymede Parkway areas.

In total, eight JCP&L crews have been observed in New Providence as well as 12 Tree crews, according to the borough's website. As of 1:30 p.m., Mountain Avenue between Diamond Hill Road and South Street has been restored.

Update: Wednesday, 2 p.m.

JCP&L continues to restore power to customers in New Providence and the surrounding areas.

As of 1:58 p.m., the most current outage numbers reported by JCP&L are:

• 1,237 customers without power in New Providence
• 2,959 customers without power in Summit
• 1,968 customers without power in Berkeley Heights
• 545 customers without power in Murray Hill

Late this morning, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick sent out the following message regarding community resources in the area:

"If you are currently without power, the JCC of Central New Jersey and the Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the Red Cross are providing warming and recharging centers. The JCC of Central New Jersey has power and is available to all members of the community if they need a place to shower, recharge their electronics, or just a place to shelter from the cold. Non-members are advised to bring a form of identification. The JCC is located at 1391 Martine Avenue in Scotch Plains. The Colonial Crossroads chapter of the Red Cross has opened a warming center at the Summit Middle School, located at 272 Morris Avenue in Summit. The warming center at the Summit Middle School will remain open throughout the day."

Yesterday, Bramnick issued a power restoration timeline, provided by JCP&L, for towns in the counties of Union, Somerset, Morris and Essex.

The estimated number of JCP&L customers who will have power restored day-by-day, by town in Union County, are as follows:

Update: Tuesday, 7:10 p.m.

All district schools will be closed again tomorrow, Nov. 2, "due to power outages, and trees and power lines still down throughout town," according to the school district's web site.

As of 7:03 p.m. today, the number of households without power in New Providence and surrounding towns has gone down. The most recent numbers reported by JCP&L are as follows:

• 1,836 customers without power in New Providence
• 5,697 customers without power in Summit
• 2,887 customers without power in Berkeley Heights
• 462 customers without power in Murray Hill

Update: Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick issued a power restoration timeline, provided by JCP&L, for towns in the counties of Union, Somerset, Morris and Essex late this afternoon. The majority of New Providence residents are projected to have power back tomorrow, while the rest will have power back by Friday at the latest.

The estimated number of JCP&L customers who will have power restored day-by-day, by town in Union County, are as follows:

Original story

Conditions throughout New Providence remain much the same as yesterday, with thousands still without power and several closed roads due to downed power lines and tree branches from the snowstorm on Saturday night.

New Providence Police Chief Anthony Buccelli said there are a couple small parts of the borough and a few businesses along Central Avenue that got power back today, but that’s the extent of it.

“We’re seeing some progress, but it’s slow. It’s a tedious process,” Buccelli told Patch Tuesday afternoon. “There’s a lot of lines down and we’re not the only ones affected by it, but it’s getting better rather than getting worse.”

Buccelli said the , and are still running on backup generators, and the is still closed.

As for the district schools opening tomorrow, Buccelli said he is in contact with Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Miceli and “we’re playing it by ear and seeing how the day goes. But it’s unlikely at this point. But that’s not for sure, I’ll talk to him later in the day and we’ll make a determination.”

If any residents are in need of shelter, the Red Cross still has a temporary warming shelter set up at the Summit Middle School, located at 272 Morris Avenue, which is open to all residents. Buccelli said that shelter kept seven local residents overnight last night.

“We ask everyone to be patient. It’s difficult for all of us,” Buccelli told Patch late Monday afternoon. “The police department is here to do whatever. If anybody needs anything, please don’t hesitate to call us and if they’d like transportation to that shelter, give us a call at 908-665-1111 and we’ll get you over there.”

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, Buccelli said South Street and Passaic Street are now open to vehicular traffic. However, the following roads are still closed due to a combination of downed power lines and tree limbs/branches:

• Mountain Avenue at Seven Oaks and Division Avenue
• Central Avenue from Maple Street to South Street
• Pittsford Way
• Whitewood Drive
• Pearl Street near Union Avenue
• Greenwood Road
• Salem Road
• Woodcrest Drive
• Kendrick Road

As of 2:47 p.m., the following outages were reported by JCP&L in our area:

• 2,757 customers without power in New Providence
• 7,890 customers without power in Summit
• 3,394 customers without power in Berkeley Heights
• 1,161 customers without power in Murray Hill

, JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano said he expects power to be 95 percent restored by Thursday in most places and by Friday for the remainder of the outages.

Morano said tree damage is everywhere and the accumulation of the heavy wet snow on top of trees that still had leaves led to the downed trees and nearby power lines. The unseasonably early snowstorm has left thousands of northern New Jersey residents without power and Morano said that is the big difference between the recent snow and Hurricane Irene. Irene affected outages for customers across the state, while the snowstorm was mostly concentrated in northern New Jersey.

Morano said some customers might have seen power restore and then go out again and continue in that pattern. "When we are restoring customers, it becomes necessary to take some customers out for safety reasons as we make repairs," he said. "Also, you have new outages happening as we are working; trees are still falling days after the storm."

Morano doesn't expect the outage number to rise anymore as much of the snow has melted. He said crews continue to work around the clock to restore power.

Continue to check New Providence Patch for more updates throughout the day.

Are you staying at home until power is restored or are you staying elsewhere? Do you still see trees, limbs and wires down on any borough roadways, cars or homes? Tell us in the comments below.

Remember to add any photos of the current conditions of New Providence to our photo gallery or send to Caitlin.Mahon@Patch.com.

Stay warm!