Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Power Restoration Target Moved Back to This Weekend

Though progress has been made, the expected date power will be on has been pushed back a week from earlier projections.

Update at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday:

As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, about 20 percent were without power in Ridgewood. It's a much better picture than has been seen lately – on Monday, 66 percent of the town was electricity-free.

Roughly 1,300 of the 2,000 still in the dark should see restoration by the end of Wednesday, PSE&G expects. Full restoration is still expected by Saturday.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All but RHS and Willard schools were still without power as of Tuesday morning.

Despite a 30 percent drop since Monday, 63.8 percent of Glen Rock is still without power, PSE&G claims. Roughly 1,400 are expected to see electricity return on Tuesday in the borough, and another 950 on Wednesday. Only a sprinkling will not have power return by Saturday, according to the work schedule.

Find out what's happening in Ridgewood-Glen Rockwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Of course, who knows with the storm expected to hit soon.

Check it out for yourself here

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Update 2:23 a.m. Tuesday:

The latest projections show about 500 PSE&G customers in Ridgewood and Glen Rock will be without power until Saturday or later, as restoration timetables continue to be pushed back. 

"PSE&G's lack of progress is unconscionable," a dismayed Jeremy Kleiman told Patch Monday night. Kleiman, the Ridgewood OEM coordinator, local officials and residents have expressed anger over the lack of consistency in when power would fully return in the village of more than 25,000.

The utility late last week said it believed there was a solid chance Ridgewood would be fully up by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, and Glen Rock by the end of Monday. Those dates came and went and now another storm on the horizon could upend continuing progress from the state's largest utility. 

On Monday morning, about 60 percent of Ridgewood was without power.

The utility expected more than 2,000 to be restored on Monday. (The last work schedule update as of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday was from Monday at 6 a.m.)

A specific number was not available, but areas on the village's East Side did see power today. The area around B.F. and Travell went on late Monday night, residents told Patch.

But almost no progress was reported in the rest of the village, Kleiman told Patch Monday night.

According to PSE&G's work schedule, about 1,500 are expected to be back in the power fold on election day, with roughly 1,200 joining on Wednesday.

Between Thursday and Saturday, a combined 900 customers are expected to see the lights turn on. That leaves nearly 350 households with no target for the power to come back in Ridgewood.

Much of the work is likely to depend on an emerging weather front that could take an ugly turn on Wednesday.

A hazardous weather outlook has been issued for the region. If it strikes, it could seriously hamper restoration efforts.

"A significant coastal storm will likely impact the tri-state region Wednesday and Thursday," the National Weather Service said Monday. "Confidence continues to increase that strong, gusty winds ... rain/wintry precipitation ... coastal flooding and additional beach erosion will result from this system."

The village will be tracking the storm system and making its usualy preparations.

"We have particular concern about the trees that were made vulnerable by Sandy," Kleiman said. "Residents should prepare for the possibility of additional outages and a delay in further restoration."

Much of Glen Rock remains in the dark. A few streets – Jerome, Malvern, the north side of Rock Road, Allen, Hillman went up within the last 24 hours.

Still, the situation remains bleak with 91 percent in the dark, the highest percentage in Bergen County.

Few line repair crews were spotted in the borough on Monday, residents told Patch. Much of the grid had been de-activated to make larger repairs.

PSE&G, on its work schedule, projected about 1,200 of the 4,500 Glen Rock customers in the dark would see restoration on Monday. Another 1,350 on Tuesday; 1,100 on Wednesday; 200 on Thursday; 131 on Friday; and 85 on Saturday were projected to be up and running.

That would leave an estimated 157 customers without power and no clear timetable for restoration.


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