Union County Sandy Update

The following is a release Union County.

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Power outages have now mounted in the County of Union as the hurricane has reached its apex. All are being urged to stay inside as conditions outdoors have become extremely dangerous. PSE&G is reporting more than 700,000 statewide without power. Most of the City of Elizabeth, Linden, portions of Union, all of Hillside and Fanwood, and large portions of Scotch Plains and Mountainside are among the many reporting outages.

Flooding in the Tremley Point section of Linden has crested, leaving many homes under water.

There are numerous reports of trees fallen, and wires down. Transformers have exploded and many homes have experienced damage throughout the County. Debris--whether from trees or mandmade items--are strewn across some major roadways and many underpasses throughout are blocked off.

There was a report of a fire in Cranford which was handled, and evacuations in Elizabethport (front street), in addition to portions of Rahway, and Cranford which occurred earlier. At least 15 municipalities—and the County of Union—have declared states of emergency, with many enacting curfews. The County's regional shelter remains open in Cranford, as well as three muniicipal shelters in Elizabeth.

As expected, the hurricane continues to be a wind driven event with surges affecting major waterways, including Elizabethport and Linden. Rain fall remains relatively minor in many places.