No Power for 25,000 in Brick; Trees, Power Lines Down Across Town

Nearly 25,000 Brick households were without power by 6 p.m. Monday, officials with Jersey Central Power and Light said.

The utility knew of 24,992 customers without power in town.

Strong winds from Hurricane Sandy knocked down trees, causing power lines to snap and transformers, in some instances, to explode.

JCP&L said crews will restore power once the storm ends and a damage assessment is taken.

Brick's emergency responders were being dispatched to calls on a constant basis all day Monday, officials said. Scanner reports indicated the bulk of the calls to the fire department were for trees that had come down, bringing live electrical wires with them.

Calls included a fire on Harvey Street, a live wire causing a vehicle fire on Coolidge Drive and wires arcing on Mantoloking Road. Reports from township residents also trickled in as the day went on of trees blocking various streets in town.

A ban on driving has been in effect since 11 p.m. Sunday and will remain in effect until township officials formally lift it.

There were a few reports of flooded streets in various sections of town, though nothing major was reported in either the mainland or island sections.

Public Works and road crews were removing fallen trees from roadways so emergency vehicles could cross.

According to a 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Sandy was packing 90 m.p.h. winds. It made landfall shortly after 6 p.m. near Atlantic City.