Schools Closed Wednesday, GSP Open for Residents

With power restoration delayed until at least Nov. 5, all Paramus area schools will remain closed on Wednesday and the retail mecca of Bergen County has one mall open to the public. Garden State Plaza opened Tuesday afternoon and will stay open until 9:30pm

The mall has set up charging stations throughout the mall, specifically near Playtown, Concierge, and various seating areas. GSP has been announcing on Facebook and Twitter those stores that are open.

Most of the mall has power, with the exception of the AMC movie theater addition, according to mall spokesman Greg Udchitz in a northjersey.com report.

Due to continued power outages Paramus Park and the Shops at Riverside will remain closed Wednesday as well.

Approximately 5,000 to 10,000 residents are without power as of Tuesday night.

PSE&G issued the following notice regarding power restoration:

Hurricane Sandy has caused unprecedented damage, twice as much damage as Hurricane Irene.  Many of our facilities were flooded by coastal surges, water-logging our equipment and making our stations and facilities difficult to access.
 
The amount of time it will take to begin working on a specific job may not be known, especially until a full assessment of the damage is done.  Accordingly, at some point in a storm, we begin using a ‘Storm ETR’, or ‘Global ETR’. This is an estimate of when all customers in our territory are expected to be restored.
 
Once the full extent of the damage is known, the ETR may be changed. Customers who have requested a callback will be notified if the ETR changes by more than 2 hours in either direction. Those customers will also be notified when our system indicates their power has been restored.
 
Because there could be additional damage affecting a customer’s service it’s critical that customers call back and let us know if they are still without power. 
 
Our call centers are fully staffed, 24/7 and safely repairing storm damage and restoring power is our number one priority. Call us at 800-436-PSEG (7734)  

GET STORM UPDATES: Follow Patch on Twitter, Facebook and click to sign up for Breaking News Alerts. News tip? E-mail paramus@patch.com 

PHOTOS? Upload your storm pictures to the gallery here.