New Jersey, New York area recovering after storms, hail, tree strikes, power outages

JUNE 24, 2015

 

NEW YORK (WABC)

 

Severe storms that rolled through New Jersey Tuesday afternoon caused widespread damage and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses.

On Wednesday, 196,446 in New Jersey were still without power; 66,845 were in Gloucester County alone.

The PSE&G customers who are without power are almost exclusively in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. Winds brought down lines feeding substations in Maple Shade, Southampton, Medford and Collingswood, causing the outages. All four substations were back in service Wednesday.

Crews from the utility's northern and central divisions are being deployed to South Jersey to assist. All customers' power should be restored by Thursday, the utility is estimating.

The storm downed trees and power lines across the state.

At the Deptford Mall in Gloucester County, strong winds ripped off part of the exterior, blew out car windows and flipped another car onto its roof. There were no reports of any injuries.

The heat also was a problem. Several people were treated for heat-related issues at a high school graduation ceremony in Egg Harbor Township. Temperatures were in the high 80s at the time, while the heat index was hovering near 100 degrees. Most areas hit the mid 90s.

Forecasters are predicting cooler, less humid conditions on Wednesday.

In addition, the heavy rain and strong winds caused a lightning strike that ignited a fire at a Queens church. The lightning struck the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Flushing just before 7:30 p.m.

The fire was contained to the roof of the church and was out within 30 minutes. No injuries were reported.

But the showers and thunderstorms will usher in a cold front.

PSEG is reporting about 86,600 customers without power due to the storm's strong wind gusts and heavy rain that swept through New Jersey and brought down wires, primarily in the utility's southern counties. Crews are on hand to make repairs and restore customers as quickly as possible.

A tree came down on power lines in the Orange County town of Warwick, and some branches also came down on the Saw Mill River Parkway in Bedford Hills.

Tips and Resources to Beat the Heat

With temperatures on the rise, residents are advised to avoid strenuous activity, drink plenty of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated fluids and take precautions against suffering heat-related illness.

Children, older adults, people with disabilities and pets are most at risk during excessive temperatures.

Health officials suggest the following heat related emergency safety tips:

Stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible

If you do go outside stay in the shade

If your home is not air conditioned, spend at least two hours daily at an air conditioned mall, library or other public place

Wear sunscreen outside, along with loose fitting light colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible

Drink water regularly even if you are not thirsty. Limit alcohol, and sugary drinks which speeds dehydration

Never leave children or pets alone in the car

Avoid strenuous activity, or plan it for the coolest part of the day, usually in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m or in the evening. If you exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. If you are used to regular exercise, just keep in mind the symptoms of heat illness when exercising and stop or rest if any occur.

Take a cool shower or bath - BUT be careful because sudden temperature changes can make you feel dizzy or sick.

Be a good neighbor, check on elderly and people with disabilities in your community who may need assistance keeping cool.

Use a fan only when the air conditioner is on or the windows are open. Fans alone will not keep you cool when it is really hot outside. Fans work best at night to bring in cooler air from outside.

Additionally, residents should contact their local and/or county offices of emergency management regarding any open air-conditioned senior centers or cooling stations.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, older adults and people with disabilities are more at risk for heat because they do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature; they are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat; and they are more likely to take prescription medicines that impair the body's ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibit perspiration.

The CDC also offers the following tips for older adults, persons with disabilities and/or their caregivers:

Visit older adults who are at risk at least twice a day and watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

Encourage them to increase their fluid intake by drinking cool, nonalcoholic beverages regardless of their activity level.

Warning: If their doctor generally limits the amount of fluid they drink or they are on water pills, they will need to ask their doctor how much they should drink while the weather is hot.

Take them to air-conditioned locations, if they have transportation problems.

Heat is often referred to as the "silent killer," in contrast to tornados, hurricanes and other natural hazards with more dramatic visual effects.
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New York City Heat Information
For more information on coping with heat, see the Ready New York: Beat the Heat guide at NYC.gov/OEM. For more information on the health effects associated with extreme heat visit NYC.gov/health.

Con Edison
Customers can report power interruptions or service problems, view service restoration information and the outage map online at ConEd.com, as well as on their mobile device. They also may call 1-800-75-CONED promptly if they are experiencing any service difficulties.

PSEG
To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call PSEG's Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. Customers can also report power outages and view the status of their outage by logging in to My Account on www.pseg.com.