NJ utility companies say they’re ready for the winter storm

New Jersey’s major utility companies are gearing up for the first major snow storm of the winter.

According to PSE&G spokesperson Brooke Houston, New Jersey’s largest electric and gas utility will have additional personnel in the field and extra equipment, including spare poles ready in case there are any storm-related outages.

“We’re watching the weather very closely, and repair crews will be on standby all weekend to deal with any outages as quickly as possible,” she said. “Snow doesn’t normally pose a serious problem, it is the icing on the lines and the trees that can increase the possibility of downed wires and power outages. If we get a quarter inch of ice on the lines and on tree limbs then those gusty winds can take down lines and also tree limbs.”

Ron Morano, a spokesman for JCP&L, said the utility was ready for the storm.

“We’ve activated our storm plan and that includes having everyone on the property, all employees ready to assume their storm roles, in addition to staffing additional dispatchers, analysts,” Morano said.

If serious power problems do arise, he said they’ll reach out to other First Energy operating companies as well as contractors for utility crew assistance.

"If the winds get above 40 miles an hour it makes it difficult for us to send crews up in our bucket trucks; we cannot do that,” he said

Houston confirmed a similar policy is in effect for PSE&G crews.

“We do have an emergency plan in place but crews cannot be sent up in buckets to make repairs in high winds,” she said. “Additional personnel will be dispatched in the field if necessary, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but either way we will be totally staffed up over the weekend and across our service area.”

To report downed wires or power outages in a PSE&G service area, you can call their Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG.  Also, customers can report outages by logging into their PSE&G account online, or they can text “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734).

If you live in an area covered by JCP&L and there’s an outage, Morano said “you can report it at 1-888-544-4877 or you can to the Report Outage link at firstenergycorp.com.”

In advance of the storm, PSE&G is suggesting that customers put together an emergency kit that includes the following items:

• Water - one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days;
• At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food;
• A battery-powered or hand crank radio;
• Flashlights and extra batteries;
• A First aid kit;
• A Manual can opener for food; and
• A Cell phone with chargers.