10:00am:
PSE&G conference call:
We’re progressing in our restoration. If you had power and it goes out again, please call us. We don’t have smart meters where we can pinpoint which houses are out.
PSE&G has restored 95% of their customers in New Jersey. Â 1.6 million customers have been restored since the storm began. Just over 80,000 of all PSE&G customers are still out.
Yesterday 36,000 customers in Essex and Passaic counties lost power. After restorations, there are still 5,000 customers out. Yesterday was a good day–over 18,000 customers in Essex county were restored.
Clifton:
635 customers still out.
Montclair:
There are still 2,200 customers out of power today. That’s down from a high of 13,500 after Hurricane Sandy.
Town Manager Marc Dashield listed the areas that are still out, and asked that they be restored as soon as possible. Still out are homes in the estate section: Clinton, Warren, and Melrose Streets are still dark. In the south ward, areas out include Orchard, High, Manor, and Virginia. Also without power are Elmwood Ave., Highland, Prospect, Upper Mountain, and Edgewood in the north part of town. In the north, from Wachung down to Nassau is dark. Another large pocket is without power from Grove west to Heller. Also out are homes from Wachung south to Oxford, including the Tuxedo, Ardsley, Walnut, and Cambridge areas.
Mayor Jackson commended the crews for continuing to work in the horrendous storm conditions yesterday.
10:30:
PSE&G conference call ended.
Town Manager Marc Dashields spoke:
We didn’t plow yesterday because we didn’t want to create any issues with power cords across the road. So it’s a bit messy out there today. We have some crews out today, it’s a lighter day. Crews worked through the night. Particularly on north side, Watchung on down. Area on upper south side–Warren, Melrose, working in that area. and in south on Virginia and Elmwood. Making good progress. They were out last night in the snow, from several states, and doing a heck of a job to get us back. If you see them, thank them.
We’ve made arrangements for Fema to come in on Tues, 7pm. They’ll be here to give a presentation on FEMA assistance.
Third ward report:
Crews still working in the area. Low temperature was a major concern last night. People panicked about unplugging their generators. Thanks for not plowing. We need more people to sign up for the alert system. People want to know timelines for restoration.
Council member Renee Baskerville:
We’re moving along. Yesterday in Elmwood section crews were out. Thankful to find out area by Virginia Ave. being addresses. Orchard and Manor Court area still a concern. Fire Chief Allen said repairs should be made soon there. Mayor said the area should be guardedly optimistic they’ll get power back today. Also getting crews out to Llewelyn area today hopefully.
Fire Chief Allen:
Last night the fire dept. knocked on doors, handed out safety tips and information on comfort stations. Some people are getting to the end of their rope healthwise. If anyone has any issues they know of, let me know and we’ll go out. No fires last night, and it was rough out there.
Mayor Jackson reminded everyone to call the non-emergency number 24 hours a day for non-ER assistance: 973 744 1234.
Katja Wowk, Communications Director:
An update of comfort stations is on the council website.
Q&A session. (About 20 residents are in attendance.):
Resident of Ingleside Rd. asked for update. Councilman McMahon said crews are working today in the  Wachung, Highland, Prospect, and Edgewood area.
Resident on Lloyd Rd. said she hasn’t seen any crews in her area. Everyone else on her street has power. PSE&G is telling her her meter is running, but she says it is not. Mayor Jackson said if PSE&G tells you your meter is running, it means power is passing your house. Then they have to circle back to get power to the pockets that are still out. Just because you don’t see crews on your street doesn’t mean they’re not working in your area.
Council member Rich McMahon said to think of the power grid as more of a spiderweb than a grid.
Resident of Upper Mountain asked if there’s a priority list. Three houses in his area are without power. Mayor Jackson said every home in town without power is on the priority list.
Katja Wowk, Communications Director, said she could look ingo scrolling the town alerts on Tv 34.
Resident asked question about safety issues concerning hanging wires, generators and gas cans. Some people are putting them in their homes, which is very dangerous.
Fire Chief Allen repeated that he’s passing out flyers with safety tips. You must put generators outside, at least 10 ft. away from your home. The specialty of the Asplundh trucks is dealing with the wires on trees. Residents should also report these problems to us and to PSE&G.
Resident asked about burying wires in the ground. Mayor Jackson said he thinks there will be a movement to put wires underground. It really has to happen. This storm pushed everyone over the edge. We’re probably going to get 2-3 of these events a year. We can’t live this way. We pay too much in taxes, have to go to work. It’s crazy. At least in New Jersey we’re going to have to do something.
Resident asked about Rockledge area. Mayor Jackson says we’ve  communicated with PSE&G about that area. But to be candid, they’re looking at first restoring the 4-5 big areas that are out.
The good news is that the weather today is better, and a lot of crews are being freed up from other towns now. Our town by far the most damaged system of any town in Essex County. Particularly north of Wachung. Our system got wiped out. Poles in backyards is a problem.
Resident in College and Carlisle area asked when she’s getting her power back. Today, next week, by Thanksgiving? I’m just trying to plan my life. I just want some idea.
Mayor Jackson said to plan on a week in that area.
Dashields said PSE&G giving us work plans the day before, but also sending out crews outside of that plan.
Resident of Patton Place, Nassau, Macopin area said everyone is up but her. Just wondering what going on?
Dashields said they’re working in that area today.
Resident asked if there’s a way to get information about PSE&G work schedules without coming to this meeting
It appears that the south side of Gordonhurst (at least some stretches of it) is still out.
North side of Beverly is still out, as well.
How do they know which homes are out? On the streets west of Valley in Upper Montclair, the odd sides are on and the even sides are off and PSEG thinks we all have power.
Ridgewood Ave, north of Belleville, west side of the street – we have power
Wait a minute … NJT has a non-compete with deCamp so this is their reason for not providing bus service for its displaced train riders into the city? This is an emergency situation. They won’t be taking riders away from DeCamp. They’ll be taking BACK their own riders who went to DeCamp. I’m sure DeCamp and its regular bus riders won’t complain about that!
The leadership at NJT is inept. This is unreal.
I understand that the train line has some major damage, but there should at least be a timetable. DeCamp gates at PA at rush hour look like an evacuation zone. A non-compete agreement?!? As for the power, the situation is intolerable. Someone needs to take responsibility, and “we’re communicating with PSE&G” is not the answer. Complacency needs to be replaced by some semblance of pro activity, otherwise the mayor should be forced to move his desk outside into the parking lot until all power is restored.
I’m getting a feeling that NJT has some major internal problems, that someone royally screwed up their storm action plan, and they are trying to cover a lot of mistakes up. Did you hear about the 250 rail cars and 63 engines that were flooded? NO ONE at NJT thought to move them to higher ground? Really? They refuse to provide alternative transportation for 16k stranded riders because of a “no-compete” agreement with DeCamp? This disaster is exposing how horribly mismanaged and incapable NJT really is.
Worse than I thought. And just after we were able to get direct train service after only 75 years…
Here’s the scenario. It probably takes Gov. Christie to declare an emergency and void the non-compete. Then DeCamp goes on strike…
Deadeye, I was thinking that, couldn’t the Gov. just override the clause for now, but you are probably right about the result… sigh
He did, actually. NJT buses will pick up passengers, no charge, at Bay, GR, Bloomfield and take them to the Weekhawken Ferry. Unfortunately, I live in Upper Montclair and have no way to get to Bay, but maybe this will help alleviate the DeCamp madness a bit.
PSEG – they cannot tell me when I will have power. The blanket statement is the 9th, but the woman I spoke with today said there are many individual problems etc. so I have no idea when I can move back into my house.
>>He did, actually. NJT buses will pick up passengers, no charge, at Bay, GR, Bloomfield and take them to the Weekhawken Ferry. Unfortunately, I live in Upper Montclair and have no way to get to Bay, but maybe this will help alleviate the DeCamp madness a bit.<<
The "non-compete" stems from DeCamp's franchise to provide service from Montclair to NY over several routes (33, 66, etc). NJ Transit can't run bus service to NY from points inside DeCamp's Montclair franchise. However, it can run service to the ferry at Weehawken, presumably bus service to Hoboken, etc. Neither of these end points are in the DeCamp franchise. Because of prior existing service rights, several points along Route 3, points in Lyndhurst, etc have service from both bus companies.
DeCamp, and Lakeland, etc have rights conferred by the state for exclusive service within their territories on designated routes. I believe DeCamp took the state to court over the Midtown Direct to confirm their bus franchise rights.
Stop to think how utterly ludicrous this situation is. Screw the citizens, but maintain the sanctity of a bus company’s route system.