Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty issued a statement at 4:30 p.m. Monday regarding Hurricane Sandy, as winds began to noticeably increase in our area.

The mayor is expected to hold a press conference at 9:30 p.m. Monday, following a town staff meeting and statewide conference call with Gov. Chris Christie. This, of course, depends on conditions by that time.

"As Hurricane Sandy looms off the East Coast, residents of New Jersey have been warned to prepare for 7- to 10-day power outages.

"Governor Christie today in a conference call to all 566 municipalities in the state requested that each Office of Emergency Management ask their residents to “please be patient” in regards to power restoration.

"This record-breaking storm is expected to wreak havoc on New Jersey and as far inland as Ohio for 48 to 60 hours with high winds, nearly a foot of rain and up to two feet of snow, and ultimately affecting 50 million to 60 million people.

"A meteorologist from the National Weather Service issued a dire warning stating at the beginning of the conference call that “we are now dealing with a worst case scenario” in regards to the impact that Hurricane Sandy will have on the most of the Garden State.

"Hurricane-force winds could potentially linger for a few days after Sandy makes landfall on the Jersey shore Monday evening. It would be near impossible to send crews out and expect them to operate in bucket trucks with 70 miles-per-hour winds.

"Utility companies are expecting downed power lines due to falling trees and tree limbs during the storm, but the potential for flooding will make it difficult to get to certain areas to restore power as well.