PSEG Power Outages Hit 48K In Essex County: Tropical Storm Isaias – Montclair, NJ Patch
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Tens of thousands of Essex County residents were left without electricity on Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Isaias.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch across New Jersey as the storm makes its way north through the mid-Atlantic, packing winds of nearly 50 mph. Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for all 21 counties that took effect at 5 a.m. and will last until 4 p.m.
According to PSE&G’s online map, 48,155 customers were affected by power outages in Essex County as of 2 p.m. – about 13.61 percent of the total customers in the area.
Some outages could last for “an extended period,” PSE&G spokespeople said Tuesday afternoon.
Towns hit particularly hard included:
- Belleville – 5,228 customers affected
- Bloomfield – 2,562
- Caldwell – 1,446
- East Orange – 1,295
- Irvington – 2,891
- Livingston – 2,680
- Maplewood – 1,362
- Montclair – 6,530
- Newark – 8,712
- North Caldwell – 2,614
- Orange – 1,488
- South Orange – 1,299
- West Orange – 7,059
Several towns reported downed wires and trees in their borders.
“Please stay indoors,” Verona police announced at 12:49 p.m. “There are multiple trees and wires down throughout town with several road closures.”
Nearby in Cedar Grove, the town saw several power lines and trees fall into the roadway, officials said.
“Please help us by remaining at home,” the West Caldwell Police Department told local residents. “We have wires down all over town, many of which we have not discovered yet. We are aware of many power outages in the area. Please be very cautious.”
Prior to the storm, PSE&G spokespeople said the company was “closely monitoring weather conditions,” and had extra personnel and resources at the ready to restore possible power outages.
Power outages or downed lines can be reported to PSE&G at 1-800-436-7734, or online here. Outages can also be reported by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734) or via Alexa.