Glen Rock Power Restoration to Take Time in Aftermath of Sandy [Photos]

More than half of Glen Rock's nearly and borough officials are urging residents to stay patient.

"While this is not an ideal situation, there is little that can be done to speed things up," the borough said in a message sent to residents Wednesday night. "The fact is that while there is significant damage in Glen Rock, there are parts of New Jersey that have been hit even harder by this storm and require more immediate attention."

Estimates for power restoration have changed little in the borough. 

"We will not begin to see restoration in private residences until at least five days after the storm concluded," the message stated. "In addition to widespread outages statewide, PSE&G is dealing with flood damage to their equipment and to the substations that service Bergen County. Priority is being given to hospitals and other critical care facilities, schools, police and fire headquarters, etc."

There may yet be a glimmer of hope though. Crews were seen in Ridgewood and residents east of Route 17 and in Somerville's Lawns neighborhood told Patch their power had been restored.

Borough Hall has also been set up as a place for residents to keep warm and charge their electronic devices. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, the borough's DPW has been working to clear hazardous conditions from roadways. Fourteen streets have been reopened, the borough said.

Mayor John van Keuren said Tuesday night that Glen Rock will be working aggressively to remove downed trees. 

"If it takes work on Saturdays and Sundays we're going to pay for it," he remarked. "If we can do it in a week-to-ten days I'll be pleased."

Community Meals will resume deliveries tomorrow and will deliver to everyone on their list, the borough said Wednesday.

The Glen Rock DPW is set to resume garbage pickup on Thursday. Residents are asked to bring garbage to the curb. Workers will be in the north/west sections on Thursday. Residents in the south and eastern zones will receive pickup on Friday.

The library will remain closed until power can be restored.

Glen Rock officials asked residents to share the information with neighbors without power and limited access to internet and e-mail.

"In the absence of phone lines and electricity, word of mouth is a powerful channel of communication," the borough said. "Thank you for your help. More information will follow as it becomes available, including a list of road closures."

Make sure to follow the borough on Facebook here and its OEM and police department.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor James Kleimann at James.Kleimann@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox every morning, sign up for our daily newsletter.