UPDATE: Ocean County Power Outages

More than 170,000 customers in Ocean County are still in the dark.

Power outage numbers continued to drop slightly across the state Thursday. According to one utility company, though, residents shouldn't expect power back any time soon from a storm it is comparing to Hurricane Katrina. JCP&L reported in a release on Wednesday that the majority of customers will be restored within the next seven days. However, it could take up to two weeks for customers in the hardest-hit areas to regain power, the company said. JCP&L reported about 822,000 of its nearly 1.1 million customers remained in the dark as of about 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, according to its outage map. The number includes 170,303 in Ocean County, down from the 202,655 who were without power late Wednesday night. “The damage from Hurricane Sandy far …

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Hurricane Sandy

Toms River and Hurricane Sandy: Wednesday Updates

Widespread power outages and other important information

Important phone numbers for Hurricane Sandy in Toms River are here. Conditions around Toms River, Wednesday Oct. 31 after Hurricane Sandy: Street Lights still down at major intersections Stay at home if you can as many intersections are without power. Among them: On Hooper Avenue: at Yorktowne Boulevard, Fischer, Walnut Street intersections. On Route 37: many traffic lights are out, such as Clifton Avenue, Hooper, Bachelor Street, Coolidge. Widespread debris continues to be an issue on local roads as police tape only has closed many residential streets where trees and power lines have fallen. On Hooper Avenue, flooding between South Shore Boulevard and the McDonald's has receded. Sandy conditions from flooding debris exist on the major …

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Hurricane Sandy

Much of Silverton Under Water, East Dover Firehouse Evacuates, Toms River Flooded with Emergencies

Barrier island homes reportedly crumble from ocean waves

Don't go out. Stay in your homes. Toms River Office of Emergency Management Director Paul Daley urged residents to stay sheltered indoors as the township grapples with major flooding, widespread loss of power, innumerable fallen trees, pockets of fire and constant calls for rescue in an extreme emergency situation. "We are in survival mode," Daley said. Toms River had nearly 1,800 calls for help overnight, with a bulk of the emergencies coming after midnight Tuesday from Hurricane Sandy. "Silverton is under water," Daley said. "You can assume all roads in Silverton are impassable." A rescue operation is under way in Ortley Beach using a swift boat rescue for a mother and son trapped in an attic, Daley said. They have been awaiting rescue …

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Weekly Weather Forecast

Heavy Rains, Lightning Create Havoc into Morning with Flooding and More

Roads along Route 37 reported flooded as traffic lights overnight were out

The crack of lightning and curtains of rain continued to draw an emergency response Tuesday morning, with flooding reported and power outages in Toms River. A storm that rolled in around 11 p.m. drenched Toms River through 8 a.m. Tuesday. At 12:30 a.m., traffic lights on Brick Boulevard between Beaverson and Drum Point Road were malfunctioning, while Toms River fire companies were activated for reports of structures being struck by lightning. Soon thereafter, reports of flooding came in, and poor conditions remain in some places throughout the township. A Holly Village Lane resident reported massive flooding of the street, off Adams Avenue, seeing "Homes flooded, road impassable," there at 8 a.m. Route 37 near Coolidge was flooded as …

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So Much to Say

5:38 pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2012

I was at Shop Rite at 2pm. Thank goodness for my flashlight app on my phone.   more ›

Hurricane Irene

Irene's Toms River Legacy Includes $2.4M in Generator Upgrades

Township's generators, servers failed in massive power outage from Hurricane Irene

Amid a rising tide of rivers and back bay waters, with a crush of downed wires and trees, it was the failure of Toms River Township's generators that officials said became the biggest eye-opener post Hurricane Irene. Township Administrator Paul Shives said the hours following the August 2011 storm were spent without power at police headquarters and town hall, as much of Toms River was also without power. Addressing the aging back-up generators became a priority project after the hurricane, he said. $2.4 million was earmarked for generator upgrades in the year after Irene. "The biggest thing that hit us, was we did complete analysis of our emergency generators," Shives said. The top lesson of Hurricane Irene was that the emergency …

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Traffic Lights Out As Power Outage Hits Toms River And Brick

Police directing traffic on Route 9

Jersey Central Power & Light reported 557 customers in Toms River were without power Friday night, and 1,500 in Brick were also powerless. Police confirmed the Route 9 corridor in Toms River was affected, with traffic lights at Cox Cro Road out. Toms River Police were on scene directing traffic in Pleasant Plains and North Dover. The power outages come after a thunderstorm swept through Ocean County. JCP&L released a statement urging safety: "JCP&L is experiencing power outages throughout our service area. Crews are working to restore power to all affected areas as quickly and safely as possible. If you have not yet reported your service as being out, please use the report an outage link or call 1-888-544-4877. If you are experiencing a …

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Smot Revir

7:29 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012

@ JOHN PINE...WOW,....you need a hobby brother !   more ›

Weekly Video

Storm Footage: Video of Heavy Wind, Lightning, Thunder Hit Green Island

The view outside the Green Island section of Toms River

The damaging winds, heavy rain and violent lightning Saturday night left thousands in Toms River without power. One reader submitted several videos of the storm rolling in, from the quickly darkening skies, to the pelting rain. Check out the series of videos from Saturday night.

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Storm Cleanup Continues, Light at Cedar Grove and Clifton Now Working

Crews continued to remove fallen branches through Sunday night after Saturday storm

Portions of Cedar Grove Road near Clifton Avenue spent the start of Sunday night in the dark, more than 24 hours after a violent thunderstorm led to power outages throughout Toms River. Around 11:30 p.m., a traffic light at the intersection of Clifton and Cedar Grove was again directing traffic. Since late Saturday night, the traffic signal had been out. For most of Sunday, vehicles traveling north on Clifton could only make a right turn on to Cedar Grove. Traffic safety cones directed traffic away from Cedar Grove westbound. The road was partially closed. Making a left turn from Clifton or driving straight onto Frann Road was not possible for much of Sunday. The traffic light's outage was part of a widespread power outage affecting as …

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UPDATE: Thunderstorm Pelts Toms River; More Than 11,000 Without Power

Shelter Cove, Bay Avenue among those reporting power outages

A severe thunderstorm darkened Toms River shortly after 7 p.m., with violent lightning briefly flickering traffic lights near Bay Avenue and Vaughn and leaving more than 11,000 without power. In the Shelter Cove section of Toms River, a power outage was reported around 7:50 p.m., about the same time power was reported out near Oak Ridge Parkway. Jersey Central Power and Light is reporting more than 11,000 customers in Toms River are without power at 9:30 p.m. The NWS predicted dangerous lightning and winds in excess of 60 mph. The utility company released the following message: "JCP&L is experiencing power outages throughout our service area. Crews are working to restore power to all affected areas as quickly and safely as possible. If you…

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Pet Cat In Car Causes Crash, Power Outage Results

Incident yesterday evening on Old Freehold Road

Toms River Police said a vehicle crash into a utility pole and resulting power outage can be traced back to one jumpy cat. Around 8:30 p.m. June 26, a 2003 Cadillac swerved off the road and struck a utility pole and tree at Old Freehold Road and Whitty, said Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy. Janelle Lewis, 25, of Jackson and her cat were inside the vehicle, said the police chief. Mastronardy said Lewis blamed the cat for causing the accident. "Janelle reported as she was driving her cat jumped on the floor on the driver’s side causing her to lose control of the car," Mastronardy said. While neither Lewis nor the cat had any reported injuries, the crash damaged the utility pole, creating a power outage, said the police chief. One…

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