Service Restored To More Than 1 Million JCP&L Customers Affected By Hurricane Sandy

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to nearly 1.1 of the 1.2 million customers who lost power from last week's Hurricane Sandy.  More than 9,700 professionals, including 4,800 linemen and 1,500 forestry workers, continue around-the-clock efforts to restore service to customers as efficiently and safely as possible.

JCP&L's best forecast is that the remaining 177,000 customers will be restored by Saturday, November 10.  There may be isolated pockets of customers located in inaccessible areas or who have individual flooding or downed line issues that will take longer.   

For restoration estimates by community, visit: www.firstenergycorp.com/storminfo.



"Hurricane Sandy inflicted wide-reaching and unprecedented damage across our state, and we're focused on completing the largest storm restoration effort in our company's history," said Don Lynch, President, JCP&L.  "Every available resource from within FirstEnergy and from outside companies is engaged in our solid plan to restore service to the vast majority of our customers by this weekend."

In parallel with restoration activities, JCP&L is prepared for a nor'easter that is expected to bring high winds and heavy rain to the area today.  Crews already in place will continue to work through the storm as safety permits.

"At the same time, we are keeping a close eye on the new nor'easter that could potentially hamper our restoration efforts and even cause some new outages later today," said Lynch.  "While the impact of the nor'easter is not anticipated to approach that of Hurricane Sandy, we encourage customers to remain prepared for the possibility of power interruptions.  As weather allows, we will continue our efforts to restore all customers as soon as possible, even through the storm."

JCP&L is completing restoration to police and fire departments, water and sewage treatment plants, hospitals, schools, and gas stations.  Many of these priority customers require extensive repairs to connect.  For customers still without power, JCP&L set up charging stations for cell phones and tablet computers at locations where free ice and water also are being distributed.  For more information, go to www.firstenergycorp.com/storminfo.

As debris from the storm is being cleared, customers are cautioned never to touch downed lines.  Customers should always assume downed wires are carrying electricity and are reminded to keep children and pets away from them.  Downed wires should be reported immediately to your electric company or local police or fire department.  Customers should never try to remove trees or limbs from power lines because they could conduct electricity.  They should wait for emergency services or utility crews to arrive.

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