8-19-2024 1:23pm

Madison Faces Borough-Wide Power Outages Due to Severe Weather Conditions

Two separate incidents cause widespread power outages, as local officials and utility companies respond to restore service.

Madison, NJ – In the past twenty-four hours, Madison experienced two significant power outages affecting every electric utility customer in the borough. These outages, caused by severe weather and falling trees, disrupted power for residents, businesses, and educational institutions, prompting a coordinated response from local officials and utility companies.

The first outage occurred on Sunday evening at approximately 7:30 p.m., when a lightning strike and a falling tree near Brooklake Road caused a power line to catch fire. As a safety measure, the line de-energized, leading to a borough-wide blackout. The Madison Electric Department, in collaboration with JCP&L (a FirstEnergy Company), worked to transfer the power supply to a secondary line, restoring electricity to most customers by 10:00 p.m. Some residences experienced extended outages due to a blown transformer, which was later replaced.

A second outage struck around 2:30 a.m. when the secondary feeder line failed to receive power from JCP&L. The cause was a tree, located outside the maintained right-of-way, falling and taking down Madison's secondary line and others in the area. This outage lasted nearly eight hours, with power being restored around 9:00 a.m. after JCP&L engineers rerouted power to Madison’s substation.

Currently, Madison is receiving power from an alternate hub while JCP&L works to remove the fallen tree and make permanent repairs to the main feeder lines, a process expected to take one to two days.

Local officials, including the Madison Electric Department, Public Works, Police, Fire, and EMS, have been praised for their swift and tireless efforts during these outages. They ensured the proper functioning of essential services and were ready to distribute power as soon as it became available.

“We understand that this morning's outage was unusual and very frustrating for all residents, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. We appreciate your patience, understanding, and cooperation during this time,” officials stated.

Madison officials continue to work closely with JCP&L to enhance the reliability of the borough’s electric distribution system, aiming to prevent such disruptions in the future.