JCP&L Line Crews and Other Personnel Continue to Make Repairs in Northern New Jersey Following Severe Winter Storm

Second Staging Area Being Opened to Handle Influx of Utility Personnel Brought in to Help with Restoration Effort

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Mar 05, 2018, 06:25 ET

MORRISTOWN, N.J., March 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 780 line workers are in northern New Jersey restoring electric service to Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) customers who lost power following the massive winter storm that pounded the entire Mid-Atlantic and New England region over the weekend.

About 150,000 customers have been restored in JCP&L's northern New Jersey service area. The heavy wet snow and 60 mph wind gusts caused more than 850 roads to be closed, tree damage to 295 poles and more than 1,000 spans of wire. Currently, approximately 63,000 customers remain out of service in Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

About 500 additional line workers from other FirstEnergy utilities and contractors will be working today and tomorrow to assist with the restoration process.

JCP&L expects the majority of customers to be restored to service by late Tuesday. However, some customers in the hardest hit areas of northern Morris County and Sussex County will be restored by late Thursday.

To handle the influx of outside workers and help make the restoration process more efficient, JCP&L has set up two staging areas, one in Sussex County and one in Morris County. A JCP&L mobile command center also has been set up to direct the outside workers to where they are most needed.

"Overall, more than 3,400 people are involved in this massive effort to restore our customers who lost power due to the devastating winter storm," said Jim Fakult, president of JCP&L. "Along with the line personnel, we also have damage assessors, hazard responders, forestry personnel, dispatchers and contractors working around the clock, with more on the way."

As part of its storm restoration process, JCP&L has taken the following steps:

Ramped up storm updates on social media and on the company website. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com
Aired radio ads telling customers how to prepare for storms
Initiated update calls with officials
Activated its Emergency Command Center
Activated its Incident Command System
Communicated with emergency management, officials, state officials, regulators, and local officials about storm restoration efforts
Staffed additional dispatchers and analysts at regional dispatch offices

JCP&L reminds customers to immediately report downed wires to their utility at 888-LIGHTSS (888-544-4877), or to their local police or fire department. Customers should never go near a downed wire even if they think it is no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled in trees or other debris.

JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE). JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.