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Hope is on the horizon even as a new nor’easter bears down on NJ. The latest reports as of Wed. morning indicate the storm may not be as severe as expected, and snow accumulation and rainfall is expected to be minimal.
But high winds, with gusts up to 50 mph inland, continue to pose a threat to recovery efforts. Trees, weakened already by the battering delivered by Hurricane Sandy, may give way and fall onto power lines previously spared — 0r some just recently restrung.
For those suffering through the 9th full day of no power, the weekend forecast looks promising with temperatures reaching into the upper 50s and low 60s. In addition to providing relief to those residents with no heat, the weather improvement should allow utility crews to bring all residents back on the grid.
Orange & Rockland crews have been supplemented by crews from around the nation with workers from Michigan, Alabama, and Georgia working everyday to bring local residents in Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff back on board.
My father spent his entire career as a lineman and then supervisor at JCP&L. He spent many long hard days on the road repairing storm damage. These crews work incredible hours and deserve our thanks. In a mixed blessing, they will be getting a nice chunk of overtime pay that will help out their families.