West Orange: Half of Town Without Power, Gas Stations Limited in Hours

To cope with long gas lines, West Orange has limited the amount of time gas stations can be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, township officials said, "This is a temporary mandate that has put into effect for the public's safety.

West Orange remains under a limited state of emergency with a mandatory curfew, according to the latest update from Mayor Robert Parisi.

“The temporary curfew is a result of the significant power outages in our town and follows discussions and input from our police professionals,” Parisi said in a release. “With no power, no lights on in homes and no street lights, neighborhoods are extremely dark and combined with storm debris and live wires on the ground, there exists a significant risk of harm to people walking our neighborhoods.

The mayor said the storm brought down more than 150 trees and wires around West Orange and urged residents to remain at home after dark for the next several days so emergency crews would have enough time to restore power and return the situation to normal.

In other township news:

• Garbage Collection/Recycling: Regularly scheduled Garbage and Bulk Trash Collection has resumed. Regularly scheduled Recycling resumes on Monday, November 5th.
• Storm Debris: Residents can place storm-related debris in front of their homes, but it must be separated from leaves. The Township will not pick up stumps, tree trunks or whole trees.
• Public Schools: West Orange public schools will be closed Monday, November 5th. Schools are closed Tuesday, November 6th for Election Day. There will be half days on Wednesday, November 7th, Thursday, November 8th and Friday November 9th.
• Shelter: For residents who need assistance, a shelter will open at 4PM today, November 2nd, at  Liberty Middle School, located at 1 Kelly Drive. Bring blankets, prescriptions and any personal needs. Please do not bring pets.
•  Pleasantdale Presbyterian Church, located at 471 Pleasant Valley Way, will be open on Saturday, November 3rd from 9AM to 5PM to help our Township’s residents who need heat, power, water and a place to stay for the day.
• Jitney Service: Jitney service to the train station is suspended until further notice.

The following Pharmacies are open in West Orange:
CVS, Eagle Rock Ave.
CVS, Main St. (open daylight hours)
Rite Aid, 20 Main St.
Rite Aid, 262 Main St. (open daylight hours)
Shop Rite Pharmacy, 1 Rooney Circle.