Belleville, Nutley Battered By Storm; Thousands Lose Power – Belleville, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Tropical Storm Isaias hit Belleville and Nutley hard on Tuesday, battering the area with heavy winds that tore down power lines and ripped trees out of the ground.

Now – a day after the storm – local residents are still dealing with the havoc left in its wake.

According to PSE&G’s outage map, 1,342 out of 17,113 customers in Belleville were still affected as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday. In Nutley, 2,398 out of 13,964 customers were still affected.

PSE&G expects that at least 85 percent of its customers who are still without power will have it restored by Friday night, spokespeople said.

BELLEVILLE

Belleville town officials offered a local storm update on Wednesday. Officials wrote:

“Maintenance crews from PSE&G continue to work throughout the township to restore the electricity in areas that are reporting power outages. Our Public Works Department, police and fire continue to address down power lines and fallen trees. As of noon today, the senior citizen building located at 125 Franklin Avenue and the Friendly house located at 21 Frederick Street, will be open acting as a temporary charging and cooling center. Social distancing will be required, and residents may be asked to use these facilities on a rotating basis. If you plan on utilizing these public buildings as a charging or cooling center, you must wear a face covering.”

NUTLEY

Nutley town officials also offered a storm update on Wednesday. Officials stated:

“Please be advised there still are numerous downed power lines throughout the township. Please DO NOT touch or go near these wires as they should always be considered live. If there is a line that is down and there is no police vehicle or caution tape roping it off, please contact the Police Department at (973) 284-4940 to report it. PSE&G is working on repairing these lines from the highest priority and as quickly as possible.”

“All township first responders, the Parks Department and Public Works employees are working tirelessly around the clock to get the township cleaned up of all debris,” Nutley town officials said. “Thank you for your patience and stay safe.”

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