NJ Utilities Brace For Hurricane Sandy

New Jersey utility companies are preparing for Hurricane Sandy's arrival.At this time, the storm is expected to begin impacting New Jersey as early as late Sunday with the full brunt of the storm hitting the area on Monday and/or Tuesday.

Public Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) says they are taking steps to make sure the utility is ready to respond to any and all power outages including:

• Ensuring that all available personnel are ready to respond beginning this weekend.
• Arranging for contractors, including tree crews, to assist the utility’s own skilled workforce.
• Ensuring that additional supplies, such as poles, transformers and other pole-top equipment, are on hand.
• Ensuring that all vehicles are fueled and ready to go.
• Testing generators at utility locations.
• Checking locations for potential flooding and taking precautions, such as using sandbags to help divert water from substation equipment.
• Coordinating with county OEMs to keep them updated on outages and restoration effort

"Clearly, a storm like Hurricane Sandy has the potential to interrupt service. High winds might cause trees to brush up against power lines, and lightning could strike and damage trees or pole-top equipment. There also is the potential for trees to be uprooted" said spokesperson Karen Johnson.

She says they are also keeping customers informed through social media and online.

Customers with a handheld device, or who are at an alternate location with power, can also report power outages and view the status of their outage by logging in to My Account at pseg.com. General outage activity throughout our service territory is available online at www.pseg.com/outagecenter and updates are posted on pseg.com during severe weather.

In addition, if outages are widespread, the utility will activate its Twitter page to keep the public informed about our restoration progress. Sign up as a follower at http://twitter.com/psegdelivers to monitor restoration progress.

Jersey Central Power & Light says which was criticized for its response to Tropical Storm Irene, says it has placed its employees on alert to be prepared for extended shifts and is monitoring Sandy.