Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Nearly 247,000 Without Power in Ocean and Monmouth

Outages to increase as Sandy barrels towards the Shore

Update, 6 p.m.: Outages have reached 126,739 in Ocean County and 120,000 in Monmouth County. --- There are nearly 24,000 reported power outages in Monmouth and Ocean counties as of early Monday afternoon, according to a Jersey Central Power & Light map. As of early Monday afternoon, there were 23,559 outages reported in Monmouth and Ocean. However, there was no way to immediately learn if some without power have not reported it yet because they may have no means of communication without electricity. But according to the information available, the highest number of outages in one town in the two counties was Middletown, with 6,869. Another town with a high number of reported outages was Berkeley in southern Ocean County with 1,848. …

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Hurricane Sandy

JCP&L Warns Power Could Be Out For 10 Days

Utility company says its hiring extra contractors, urges residents to be prepared

Residents should be prepared for power outages of up to 10 days from the anticipated impact of Hurricane Sandy, according to a release from the parent company of JCP&L. FirstEnergy Corp, which owns the local utility company along with several others on the East Coast, said in a release that the oncoming storm could wreak havoc with the electrical system and residents should be prepared to be without power for more than a week. The company is securing outside utility crews, electrical contractor and tree trimmers to assist a beefed up response crew and support workers to help restore power as soon as possible throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to the release. “Depending on the severity of the storm's impact on the …

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Hurricane Sandy

HURRICANE SANDY: JCP&L Says it Learned From Its Mistakes

Stresses storm may knock out power for 7-10 days

  Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) President Don Lynch says the company has learned from the mistakes it made from Hurricane Irene and is ready for Hurricane Sandy and the threat it poses to the state. The company took heat when Hurricane Irene left many New Jersey towns without power for days - and, in some cases, weeks. Many thought JCP&L's response was too slow. The biggest lesson learned is getting the information out to customers and municipalities as specifically, quickly and often as possible, Lynch said. The company wants its customers to know as much information as possible, he said. "Just know that Jersey Central will be working hard day and night - we've already started, should that storm hit shore here and cause outages …

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Grande, 20, Remembered as One Who 'Commanded Your Attention'

Grande, a 2010 Lacey Township High School graduate, died on Friday, Aug. 3 while working as a lineman for JCP&L

Rachel Blood and Breanna Ostermann sat at a booth in Caffrey’s Tavern laughing and reminiscing over a bowl of soup. The actuality of their friends’ death was still unreal as they shared stories that were so tangible it was as if the events had unrolled a night earlier and Richard Grande was about to join them at the table. Grande, 20, a 2010 Lacey Township High School graduate, died on Friday, Aug. 3 while working as a lineman for JCP&L. 'Most Genuine Person I Have Ever Met' It would only be when Blood and Ostermann scrolled to Grande’s name in their phones to send a text or give a call that they would realize his death, they said. Grande is well remembered for his distinct laugh. A “Richard Grande laugh.” One that cannot be described …

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UPDATE: Power Has Been Restored To Highlands

Two fuses had to be replaced after a squirrel made contact with them.

Power has been restored to Jersey Central Power & Light customers in Highlands Borough Saturday morning after crews replaced two blown fuses.  A squirrel made contact with fuses on the line causing the fuses to blow. These fuses were then replaced and power was restored, said JCP&L spokesperson Pete Johner.  Early this morning, about 200 Jersey Central Power & Light customers in Highlands Borough were without power. 

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People Posing as JCP&L Workers to Gain Access to Homes

There have been reports of people pretending to be the energy company's employees in order to illegally enter homes in neighboring towns.

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has alerted residents in neighboring towns that people have been representing themselves as JCP&L employees in order to gain access to homes in the area. JCP&L asserts that all of their employees carry photo identification badges at all times. The I.D. card will read "Jersey Central Power & Light" or "FirstEnergy" and have a photograph of the employee. If an employee comes to your home please ask to see their identification card and the purpose for their visit. Occassionaly, JCP&L workers need access to your property to read and replace a meter or to inspect, test, and repair their electrical equipment. If the employee refuses to show you an I.D. card or claims he or shee does not have one, please do …

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UPDATE: Power Restored to 8,000 in Monmouth

Howell, Tinton Falls and Freehold Township hit hardest following storm.

Heavy winds downed wires across Monmouth County during Thursday’s severe thunderstorm. More than 9,000 residents lost power Thursday night, according Jersey Central Power & Light’s outage map. By Friday at 9 a.m., power was restored to all but about 800 households. As with the last summer storm to strike the area, Western Monmouth County was hardest hit. More than 2,300 Howell residents were in the dark Thursday night. Some 1,300 outages were reported in Freehold Township and 951 in Marlboro. JCP&L reported 482 customers without service in Millstone. By Friday morning, power had been restored to all but 159 Millstone residents, 25 in Freehold, 20 in Marlboro and less than five in Howell. Other parts of the county did not escape unscathed. …

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