Community Corner

Many Rumson and Fair Haven Residents Preparing for Another Night Without Power

Over 2 days after Hurricane Irene hit the area, residents and businesses still dealing with power outages and downed wires.

Many residents in Rumson and Fair Haven are still without power over 2 days after hit our area.

“If you have power it is business as usual, if you don’t it is trying to cope,” said Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre.

Both Rumson and Fair Haven have most of their , but power is still missing in many homes and businesses. 

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayor Halfacre purchased the last generator at Home Depot this morning himself in preparation to be without power for the next couple days. “Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has given us zero information about what to expect or when to expect it. All they say is we are working on it,” he said. “If they could give us an idea, then we can plan. I have residents all over town that are in the same boat.”

The sent out a notice on Monday around 4:30 p.m. asking residents to be patient, keep clear from downed wires, and prepare to be without power for a little while longer: “There is no exact time as to when the power is going to be restored and residents are being asked to prepare to be without power for the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents and businesses in Rumson are also dealing with power outages throughout the town. Administrator Tom Rogers said that JCP&L is reporting over 600,000 customers with out power throughout the state of New Jersey. “Current estimations say that it could take upwards of a week to restore power. They said they have brought in workers from outside the state to help, but it is a lot to handle,” Rogers explained.

Another problem residents are still facing is that many roads are blocked off because of downed trees entangled with power wires.

“Batton Rd. has a pretty big tree down. We can’t get to the tree because there are power lines down and we can touch the tree until JCP&L comes and says it is okay for us to touch it,” said Mayor Halfacre.

Rumson also has roads that are blocked due to downed wires. “It is important not to go near or touch any power lines that are down,” said Rogers. He added that JCP&L is working on these issues: “JCP&L officials were here yesterday and have surveyed the entire borough. Basically what happens is they work from one end to the other. They are going to approaching the repair and replacement in a systematic way.”

In addition to the power lines and trees that were knocked down thanks to Hurricane Irene, more were grounded due to high winds from 3:00-6:00 p.m. on Sunday. “The problem we are facing now is that borough office phone and police headquarter phones are down. We hope to have that solved by the end of the day,” said Rogers. “That was not caused by the storm, but actually from the winds on Sunday. We lost more trees and power lines last night.”

If you have an emergency, the borough is asking you to call 9-1-1 and they will be able to direct your call.

If you have not already reported an outage in your own home, JCP&L asks that you do so by calling 1-888-544-4877.

Check back to Patch for more updates on this issue to come.


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