What a mess! Over 20,000 people in New Jersey lose power because of the fierce storms.
Storms in New Jersey knocked out power for a lot of people.
Storms with hail and heavy rain hit New Jersey in the evening of July 31. It was a shock across the state when more than 20,000 people lost power very quickly. Things went badly in the sky very quickly. In just a few hours, streets were flooded, power lines were down, and homes were left without power.
It was too much for power companies by 5:30 p.m. PSE&G reported that more than 6,400 customers were without power. The hardest-hit counties were Essex, Middlesex, and Bergen. It was very bad in Woodbridge and Wallington as well; more than 1,100 houses in Nutley lost power.
At the same time, JCP&L said that even more homes were without power, affecting nearly 14,000 houses. Ocean County took the most damage, especially Manchester Township, where more than 5,000 people lost their homes and had no way to protect themselves. People in places like Roxbury and Tinton Falls lost thousands more hours of service in Morris and Monmouth counties as well.
Orange & Rockland Utilities, on the other hand, said that only small outages happened in their New Jersey service area, which was a relief amidst all the chaos.
Before the storm hit, Acting Governor Tahesha Way announced a state of emergency because the storm was moving so quickly over the Garden State. The National Weather Service quickly did the same thing. They put out a severe weather watch until 8 p.m. and a flood watch for the whole state and nearby areas from July 31 to August 1.
The quick change in weather wasn’t like a summer storm. It came as a surprise when it rained so hard that drains broke and lightning lit up the sky like in a movie. First responders worked quickly to fix the fallen trees and lines and get the power back on.
People are being told to stay inside, avoid flooded roads, and watch the local news while the repair work goes on. New Jersey might not be safe yet because more bad weather is on the way.
