On Sunday evening, South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum posted on social media asking neighbors to prepare for the possibility of extended power outages.
“PSE&G has more than 3,000 field workers deployed and has requested hundreds of additional mutual aid crews,” she said in a Facebook post. “Even so, they are already signaling that this could be a multi-day restoration event. When snow is heavy and wet — combined with blizzard conditions and high winds — it makes travel dangerous and restoration work slow. There are also safety restrictions on equipment like bucket trucks during high winds, which can further delay repairs.
In her Facebook post, she also said that because much of South Orange’s power infrastructure runs through backyards, that would add time to restoration, if the power does go out.
“And remember, utilities must first prioritize hospitals, critical infrastructure, and public safety facilities before residential service,” she said.
She also suggested residents charge all of their electronics and back up chargers, just in case.
Collum reminded residents that they need to stay home, stay safe and “check on neighbors who may need extra support, and avoid taking unnecessary risks that would put additional strain on our emergency responders. Let’s take this seriously, look out for one another, and get through it safely — together.”
Latest updates, she said, will be on southorange.org, where residents can also sign up for emergency alerts. She added the image below from the National Weather Service.
