Long Branch-Eatontown Area Residents Still Waiting For Power

With the wind and rain from today's nor'easter already hitting the area, local residents who still do not have power are hoping it returns before the storm really impacts the area later today.

According to Jersey Central Power & Light's (JCP&L) outage map, 3,540 Long Branch residents are still in the dark as of 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Residents in North Long Branch, Elberon, along Ocean Avenue and other parts of the city are still without power.

The continued outages have caused the closure of the Long Branch School District for the eighth day in a row.

The Long Branch Middle School will be open on Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. for a hot lunch, movies, computer use, clothing, fun and games for the children.

The middle school is also serving as a donation center where residents can drop off blankets, food, diapers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, baby food, baby formula, toilet paper, paper towels, feminine products to aid Hurricane Sandy victims.

Monmouth University has a Red Cross shelter that can accept 737 people but at this time has only 87. The shelter is located at 400 West Cedar Avenue in West Long Branch. For more information, call the Red Cross Jersey Coast Chapter at (732) 493-9100.

Eatontown still has 776 residents without power, but JCP&L estimates that they will have power restored to those individuals by Friday at 11:59 p.m., according to the Eatontown municipal web site.

Eatontown Public Schools will be closed today through Friday, Nov. 9 and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 12 for a regularly scheduled day.

Power has been restored to the Monmouth Mall and Loews Theater and SCAN at the mall has reopened and invites all residents, ages 55 and older, to come in, have some hot coffee, charge up any electronic devices, and participate in classes free of charge. SCAN is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Tuesday through Friday. Please call 732-542-1326 for more information.

There will be a free clothes washing station and charging station at the Lowes Home Improvement Center on Route 35 in Eatontown from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday for residents who still do not have power.

Tinton Falls still has 886 residents without power and West Long Branch has 273 residents without power on Wednesday morning, according to JCP&L. JCP&L crews are still working in these boroughs to restore power according to police and borough officials.