Tens of thousands still without power in New Jersey after Monday's storms
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- More than 35,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey were still without electricity Wednesday night, two days after a line of thunderstorms downed trees and power lines.
Most of the outages are Jersey Central Power and Light customers in Monmouth and Ocean counties, while Public Service Electric and Gas is reporting most of its outages are in Burlington and Camden counties.
The utilities say it could be late Friday before service is fully restored, although the state Board of Public Utilities says restoration could take until late into the weekend.
At the height of Monday's storms, more than 360,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in the state.
In Howell, a huge tree fell and split a home in two on Georgia Tavern Road. Luckily, everyone got out safely.
In Lakewood, a downed tree trapped two people inside of a vehicle on 13th Street. Fortunately, they were not hurt.
Flooding caused a lot of problems in Hackensack, where firefighters had to rescue 14 people who became stranded.
The storms brought torrential downpours, with rain falling at the rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour Monday night, prompting flash flood warnings for much of the region. There were also damaging winds, with gusts of at least 60 miles an hour reported in some spots.
One person was hit by a falling tree at Monmouth University's campus in West Long Branch. The person was taken alert and conscious to a local hospital.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy toured the damaged areas Tuesday, saying PSEG and JCP&L are sending reinforcements from as far away as Canada.
WATCH: Gov. Murphy tours storm damage in Howell, NJ
"They are bringing in I think they said 800 out of state line men and women," Murphy said. "PSEG is bringing in 500 more."
JCP&L also cut a deal for discounts on water and ice at Shop Rite for families affected by the outages.
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