Update: Relief for Most Ridgewood Residents Won't Come Until Monday, Mayor Says

The has knocked out power to much of Ridgewood, as trees and branches continue to plunk down all across the village. Most won't receive relief until next week.

"There's a lot of power out, probably 95 percent" of Ridgewood, Mayor Keith Killion said Saturday night. "Public Service is telling people [it will be restored] Monday."

Close to 350,000 PSE&G customers were without power as of late Saturday night, the utility said in a statement. As of Monday morning, at least 10,000 in the village were without power, according to the outage map.

According to the National Weather Service, the snow, which could still be heavy at times, is expected to taper off by about 3 a.m. Total snow accumulation Saturday night into early Sunday morning is expected to be between three and seven inches.

"Please, just stay home," Mayor Keith Killion urged village residents. "Unless there's an emergency, do not call the police department," he added.

Although conditions are expected to improve on Sunday, dozens of hazards remain on roadways and sidewalks.

Trees and branches of all shapes and sizes dam roadways, and live wires have lit trees on fire, both east and west of the tracks.

Emergency responders, tree service and DPW have hustled from street to street, uninterrupted, since the early afternoon. And much work still remains.

Many roads remain in poor shape as the cold weather hardens the snow – at least a dozen remain closed as of 11 p.m. Saturday. (Scroll to the bottom of this article to see a list of road closures; also ; and be a good neighbor, add your own update.)

Killion could not provide a timetable as to when the branches and trees will be cleared, telling Patch that officials are hopeful the scope of cleanup is more clear on Sunday.

"We're facing the same problems we faced with Irene," the mayor said.

Though the mobilized and had time to prepare – adding workers in emergency services and other departments – large disasters like this take time to recover from, he said. "There is a period of time where they [workers] have to rest but we'll have them out until power is restored and streets are plowed. We'll do the best we can."

, the village is bracing for potentially significant hits to its capital budget and in overtime expenses. Killion said he's hopeful the state will help offset costs after Governor Christie declared a state of emergency Saturday. , and may get 65 percent of the costs covered by disaster relief funds. 

The lack of electricity is also taxing to merchants, especially restaurant owners. With power out until Monday, inventory will have to be tossed. The mayor said the health inspector will be out once power is restored, assuring safety protocols are met.

Residents weren't the only folks in Ridgewood hit with power struggles – both and had to switch to emergency generators on Saturday.

"If you have an elderly or disabled neighbor, check on them," Killion requested. "And please be patient, we're responding as quickly as we can to get things back to normal."

A resident of over 60 years, Killion says he can't recall a day like this in the village. It's a spooky October weekend, indeed, he said.

Follow Ridgewood Patch on Twitter for live updates. Please keep us updated with power outages, road closures, trees down so we can help you and your neighbors stay informed. E-mail me at james.kleimann@patch.com or tweet me. 

Numerous street lights were out in the village on Saturday and although many roads remain partially closed due to downed trees and/or powerlines, the village announced the following roads were officially closed to traffic at around 8 p.m:

-Overbrook by Irving and Northern Parkway.

-Oak St. by the YMCA

-Meadowbrook by the right-of-way.

-West End between Cantrell and Godwin

-Monroe between Shelbourne to the Village Border

-Linwood Ave between Van Dien and Fairfield

-Hillcrest between Avendale and Richards

-Monroe by W Glen

-Kensington and Fairfield

-Highland by Grandview Circle and Cantrel

-Gateway Rd.