PSE&G crews worked around the clock on the July 4th holiday weekend to restore electricity to over 100,000 customers in Central Jersey that were hit by hurricane-force winds that uprooted trees, damaged homes and impacted power infrastructure.
In the aftermath of the July 3 storm, PSE&G crews repaired or replaced more than 150 utility poles, installed more than 80 transformers, replaced approximately 76,000 feet of wire and cleared over 500 tree hazards from lines and equipment.
These weren’t ordinary repair jobs, either. The storm’s combination of powerful straight-line winds and downbursts at speeds of 65 to 80 mph topped many large trees, particularly in Plainfield, Middlesex County, complicating the cleanup and restoration work. Other communities that were hard hit included Fanwood, Scotch Plains, and Dunellen.
For example, in one case five crews worked to repair eight broken poles and six transformers to restore power to 43 affected customers, underscoring the fact that it can take just as long to restore a few customers as it does to bring back power to thousands.
“We’re also proud of all the PSE&G employees who gave up holiday time with family and friends to support the operations in the field, doing whatever it took to restore power,” the company said in a statement on July 10.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recognized PSE&G’s recovery efforts in a post on their social media feeds.
“In the aftermath of this weekend’s severe storms, we extend our sincere thanks to the hardworking crews at PSE&G for their swift response and tireless efforts to restore power to impacted communities…We are deeply grateful for all PSE&G crew members who worked around the clock to keep our communities safe and powered,” NJBPU posted on Facebook.
To get the work done, PSE&G called for extra crews, including a contingent of mutual aid crews from other utilities in other states. Among those providing mutual aid support were Consolidated Edison, Orange and Rockland Utilities, and PSEG-Long Island. This support was critical in speeding up the recovery process, PSE&G said.
