Winter Storm Jonas, bringing high winds and heavy snow, moved into the region last night and is expected to continue through Sunday morning. The storm caused significant damage in Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties, leaving more than 40,000 Atlantic City Electric customers without power.
Sustained winds of 30 mph to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph along the coast have hampered restoration efforts. Crews will assess damage and make repairs when they can work safely. Significant flooding along the coast is also preventing access to areas requiring repair and further delaying restoration. Critical customers who need electricity for life support equipment are advised to seek shelter where power is available.
“We’re keeping a close watch on the weather and wind speeds,” said Vince Maione, Atlantic City Electric region president. “We’ll continue conducting a comprehensive assessment which we’ll use to strategically deploy crews. Crews will work around the clock as safely and quickly as possible until every customer is restored.”
All Atlantic City Electric employees have a second role during emergencies and will participate in the restoration effort. Mutual assistance personnel from other utilities have also been enlisted to assist in the restoration process.
Atlantic City Electric will prioritize its restoration effort by first addressing damage to its critical electric infrastructure including transmission lines and substation equipment, as well as hospitals, fire and police stations, water filtration plants. Next, crews repair main distribution lines that serve the largest number of customers, followed by single customers in rural areas.
The safety of our customers and crews is paramount. Customers are urged to avoid working crews and to stay away from all downed wires, even if they don’t appear to be energized.
All outages and downed wires should be reported to 1-800-833-7476, through opens in a new windowwww.atlanticcityelectric.com or through the mobile app, available for downloading at atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp. Customers should request a call back to verify their power has been restored.

Here is the latest briefing from the National Weather Service on what Stone Harbor and other areas may expect during the afternoon and evening from this winter storm:  National Weather Service Briefing Saturday January 23 100pm

The Borough of Stone Harbor has declared a local State of Emergency due to the coastal storm.  Due to the power outage that has affected the community, Stone Harbor has now opened a local shelter at the Stone Harbor Recreation Center located at 82nd Street and Second Avenue.  Residents who seek the shelter should drive to the Recreation Center only when it is safe to do so.  Please do not drive on a flooded street or through a flooded intersection; you put yourself, first responders, and your vehicle at risk.  If you have any emergency during this storm event, please dial 911.  If you wish to be evacuated to the Stone Harbor shelter, please call 911.

Atlantic City Electric still anticipates a lengthy outage for the 7 Mile Beach including Stone Harbor and Avalon.  You can view the latest outage maps at opens in a new windowwww.atlanticcityelectric.com.

Atlantic City Electric is reporting nearly 20,000 power outages in Cape May County as a result of this morning’s winter storm and high wind event. There are nearly 30,000 customers in Atlantic City Electric’s service area without power at 7:45am on Saturday, January 23^rd. Atlantic City Electric is reporting outages not only in Avalon and Stone Harbor, but in Sea Isle City, Lower Township, Middle Township, Upper Township, Cape May, and the Wildwoods. It is possible that this could be an extended power outage for customers who have been affected by these multiple outages. For the safety of its crews, the utility must wait until the very strong winds subside to some degree before attempts can be made to restore some power interruptions. You can view the utility’s outage map at opens in a new windowwww.atlanticcityelectric.com.

If you have any emergency during this storm event, please dial 911.

If you attempt to drive following this high tide event, please exercise caution and never attempt to drive through any flood water. This puts the driver and vehicle at risk, and can cause an unnecessary wake that can damage properties in the Borough.   Strong winds are expected to keep flood waters in the back bays after high tide. This may complicate the next high tide event scheduled for 7:43pm at the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge.

The Winter Storm Warning, High Wind Warning, and Coastal Flood Warning remain in effect by the National Weather Service.

The following is a statement from the Office of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:

With Winter Storm Jonas expected to arrive in New Jersey tonight, Governor Chris Christie declared a State of Emergency, authorizing the State Director of Emergency Management to activate and coordinate the preparation, response and recovery efforts for the storm with all county and municipal emergency operations and governmental agencies. Commuters are asked to use extreme caution while traveling across the state.

“This weekend’s storm is expected to produce heavy snow and a variety of dangerous travel conditions throughout the state,” said Governor Chris Christie. “I’ve authorized state officials to continue all necessary actions, and we will monitor conditions throughout the remainder of the storm. I encourage all New Jerseyans to drive carefully and remain off the roads if possible so that our first responders and public safety officials can safely respond to any emergency situations.”

Starting Friday evening, New Jersey is expected to experience a severe winter storm with heavy snow, mixed precipitation, 25-45 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph, and freezing temperatures throughout the State. A potential mixture of hazardous travel conditions, fallen trees and power outages, and coastal, stream, and river flooding are anticipated.

Road conditions will be available at the New Jersey Department of Transportation website at opens in a new windowhttp://www.511nj.org/.

New Jersey State of Emergency Winter Storm January 2016