MORRISTOWN, N.J., Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central
Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to nearly 160,000,
or about 20 percent, of its customers following Hurricane
Sandy. At the peak, more than 1 million of JCP&L's 1.1
million customers were without power. Customers experienced
more than 1.2 million interruptions as many customers who initially
had power restored experienced multiple service interruptions.
Using helicopters, vehicles and foot patrols, JCP&L
continues to assess damage to its electric system and make repairs
to thousands of poles, lines and dozens of substations.
About 940,000 JCP&L customers remain without power.
The majority of customers will be restored within the next seven
days. Customers in the hardest-hit areas are expected to be
restored in an additional seven days. Remaining customers
will be restored once damaged roads, infrastructure and homes are
rebuilt. Downed trees and branches have made many roads
impassable, and flooding has been a major issue in the aftermath of
this storm.
"The damage from Hurricane Sandy far exceeds what we saw from
Hurricane Irene or the October 2011
snowstorm," says Don Lynch,
president of JCP&L. "While we were better prepared for
Hurricane Sandy, the damage rivals that experienced during
Hurricane Katrina, one of our nation's most devastating and
expensive hurricanes. In preparing for Hurricane Sandy, we
positioned 1,600 line crews and 1,200 forestry professionals prior
to the storm even making landfall."
Progress on repairs to damaged transmission lines is sufficient
to allow JCP&L to begin providing power to substations.
Six substations flooded due to the storm surge.
Prior to Hurricane Sandy's arrival, JCP&L had proactively
de-energized substations to the barrier islands in Monmouth and Ocean counties to protect equipment and help
speed the restoration process.
JCP&L's emergency operations center has been in full
operation since Monday, October 29.
Mobile command centers also are located strategically around
the state. Emergency services and first responders in
JCP&L's service area, including hospitals, police, fire and
first aid, will be given first priority for restoration of service.
Then, repairs are made to restore service to the largest
number of customers.
JCP&L reminds customers to stay away from downed power
lines. Customers are asked to report outages at 1-888-LIGHTSS
(1-888-544-4877) immediately. The more people who call, the
faster JCP&L can pinpoint the locations to send crews for
repairs.
Customers are encouraged to be safe and:
- Stay away from downed power lines. They could be
electrified and should always be considered dangerous. Don't
walk or drive near or over a downed line, and watch out for
anything touching the line. If a wire falls on a vehicle,
passengers should stay inside until help arrives.
- If you have an electric well water pump, keep an emergency
supply of bottled water and consider filling your bathtub with
fresh water.
- Do not use gas stoves, kerosene heaters or other open-flame
heat sources to prevent deadly carbon monoxide gas from building up
in your home.
Customers with mobile devices can obtain updated information on
the company's current outages, FirstEnergy's storm restoration
process and tips for staying safe. Customers are urged to visit the
24/7 Power Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages.
Or follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L and Facebook at
www.facebook.com/JCPandL for the latest information.
JCP&L is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE).
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of
Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
and Warren.
FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company 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 Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, New York and West
Virginia. Its generation subsidiaries control more than
20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed
coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage
hydro and other renewables. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter
@FirstEnergyCorp.
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.