Union County State of Emergency Continues Through 6 p.m. Wednesday
Residents are reporting low water pressure; power outages continue.
Union County has once again declared a State of Emergency from 6 p.m. tonight until 6 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 31 in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. All County buildings and offices will be closed and only essential personnel and emergency responders will be required to report to work.
According to PSE&G, there are still between 5,000 and 10,000 Westfield customers without power as of Tuesday evening. Due to downed power lines and fallen trees, Westfield Police Chief David Wayman asked that residents stay home and off the roads.
According to the Town of Westfield's Twitter account, no serious storm-related injuries were incurred by residents or emergency services and public works personnel who worked all night long.
Residents should call 911 only to report life-threatening emergencies. To report downed power lines or outages, contact your utility company. PSE&G customers call 1-800-436-7734. JCP&L customers call 1-800-545-7738 or use the automated reporting line at 1-888-544-4877. For questions about your gas service, call Elizabethtown Gas at 800-492-4009.
Currently there are no boil-water advisories in effect for Union County. However, residents are advised to fill water bottles now in case they are needed later. You can also use heavy duty plastic storage bags to save water. Some Westfield residents are reporting low water pressure and New Jersey American Water reported interruptions in service due to power issues at pumping stations. Normal service is expected to resume Tuesday evening.
Westfield public schools will remain closed on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Trick-or-treating in Westfield has been postponed indefinitely.
Patch editor and Westfield resident Kaitlyn Anness said Rahway Avenue is closed before Dorian Road. Most side roads are closed on the South Side due to downed trees. Summit Avenue and Boulevard are still blocked by Jefferson. Central Avenue is still blocked at Marlboro Street and Ayliffe.
To contribute to disaster relief, contact the Red Cross.
How is your neighborhood faring? Tell us in the comments.
dave
10:25 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thanks for the very helpful information. Town officials are very busy, but it would help if they circulated information, perhaps through the Union County alert email service, of closings of major streets, banks, drugstores, supermarkets and gas stations, as well as updates on power restoration. Otherwise, the rumor mill will be in high gear about which neighborhoods are restored first and how long the rest will take.
Trinity Gardener
10:54 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Stonleigh Park had heavy DPW equipment clearing their neighborhood first thin Tuesday morning. Several front end loaders and dump trucks. Why the need to clear the neighborhood street so fast, it's not like students can park there.
Phil Michel
1:45 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
What's the story on gas stations. They all closed by 6pm
Mike Bielen
6:43 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Go to https://twitter.com/TownOfWestfield. Numerous updates from the Town are available. This is the source of the Patch information. Detailed updates are available at http://www.westfieldnj.gov/sandy
Mike Bielen
6:46 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Buona Pizza and Cod Almighty were open yesterday. All stores east of the Buona including Pathmark, Kings, Home Depot and the and the Wells Fargo ATM had power.
Debbie
8:25 am on Wednesday, October 31, 2012
I posted a bunch of southside and downtown photos here: https://lettersfromnj.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/hurricane-sandy-the-aftermath/#comments