Sporadic Power Outages Hit Area as Storm Arrives

Updated at 10:26 p.m.

New power outages sporadically hit areas of Hillsdale and Washington Township around Pascack Road and the Garden State Parkway Wednesday as snow from "Winter Storm Athena" began to fall.

The affected area stretched from around Anne Blanche Smith School in Hillsdale to parts of Washington Township, according to Hillsdale Police Sergeant Joseph Mazzeo.

Police set up blockades at the intersection of Pascack Road and Hillsdale Avenue because the traffic light had gone out. A generator was later used to power the light.

PSE&G representative Rena Esposito told Patch that some power was being turned off briefly because of ongoing work to restore power after Hurricane Sandy, and from winds of the winter storm that was in the area.

"With the winds coming in, we've some affect the circuits, so some circuits may be taken out of service due to the wind," Esposito said. "Crews may be working on that same circuit to restore other customers. For safety reasons, they may bring that circuit offline temporarily, and then re-energize that circuit."

Numerous crews were working on power lines around the area Wednesday.

Hillsdale, Washington Township and Westwood each had between 501 and 2,000 customers without power Wednesday night, according to PSE&G.

More power outages could be on the way, as Winter Storm Athena passes through the area. The National Weather Service forecast wind gusts reaching 43 miles per hour and snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches in Westwood.

Governor Chris Christie had warned that a Nor'easter headed for New Jersey could cause more power outages when he spoke in a Westwood school Tuesday.

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