Mayor: Nearly All Power Restored In Morristown

Most residents of Morristown have regained power following the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, and the remaining homes will hopefully regain theirs within the next few days, according to Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty.

“The latest update is that we’re about 97 percent powered up," Dougherty said early Thursday evening. "We have a few blocks that still are out of power. It’s under 500 residents, but that’s still 500 people that need the information out there. Hopefully, we’re going to have partial restoration sometime this evening for some, and we’re being told by JCP&L that the rest will come tomorrow morning.”

According to Dougherty, the remaining outages are a result of downed trees and power lines and “different issues that happened as a result of the storm”.

Dougherty also stated that there are currently no more road closures within Morristown, and that the Passaic River has receded and is not currently at flood stage, both signs that recovery efforts are paying off.

While hurricane recovery efforts continue, authorities have also been investigating a manhole explosion that occurred Wednesday evening on the corner of James Street and South Street. Dougherty and the police department have been working closely with JCP&L and the board of public utilities to determine what caused the manhole explosion.

At this time, it is believed that a faulty switch within the manhole triggered the explosion. Dougherty also pointed out that the switch itself was not responsible for power outages in nearby neighborhoods.

“When JCP&L was doing the (power) restoration, they said that lights could go out from time to time,” said Dougherty of the incident. “According to JCP&L, one is not related to the other.”

For residents who are still without power, Morristown, in conjunction with both the town and county offices of emergency management, is offering food and water at Senior Center, located on the third floor of the Morristown Municipal Complex at 200 South Street.