Union County State of Emergency Continues Through 6 p.m. Wednesday

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.