UPDATE: Power Could Take Weeks to Return, Officials Say

With no change in the number of power outages throughout the Somerset Hills area, officials are not sure when the lights will be turned back on in each individual town.

Bruce McArthur, township administrator for Bernards Township, said Tuesday evening that there is currently no timeline known for when JCP&L will restore power to the area.

McArthur said he is supposed to speak with JCP&L officials Wednesday, but there is still no update on when residents can expect the power to come back.

JCP&L workers were seen starting to work on the lines at the Hills in Bedminster Wednesday morning.

Bernards Township committeeman John Malay said JCP&L officials are going to be working first on high transmission wires and substations that were damaged in the storm. From there, he said, they will activate circuits, first those that will take the least amount of time and affect the most customers.

"But it could be weeks in some situations," Malay said.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, most of the towns in the Somerset Hills area are still without power.

In Bedminster, 3,689 residences are without power, and in Bernardsville, there are 3,444 homes without power. In Bernards Township, there are 12,553 homes without power.