6,500 Still Without Power, King George Road Reopened

As of Tuesday, Election Day, there was little change in the number of customers without power as residents bundled up and found a variety of places to charge up, warm up and maybe seek an alternative place to sleep after a frigid overnight.

Meanwhile, Bernards Township police also have placed ice outside the police headquarters which many residents had requested, and is available for the taking.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m. as residents vote in local municipal, school, county, state and a U.S. presidential election. However, many polling places have been changed in Bernards Township due to the continuing power outages.

The township website reported in its 6 p.m. update that 6,526 JCP&L customers remained without power. At 9 p.m. on Monday, about 6,700 customers were without power, although Spring Ridge and The Cedars finally had been turned back on Monday evening.

But large swaths of customers, including many sections of the dense The Hills section of the township, remained dark. Some businesses at the Village Center in The Hills were open, including Rite-Aid, Veneto's Trattoria, The Wine Rack and Chu's Cafe were open and running on generator power, but the area still was not being served by electricity as of late Tuesday morning.

Many of the shops and eateries in downtown Basking Ridge, including Brush's Deli and Ridge Italian Comfort Food, were open. The Italian restaurant opened on Monday night, and reportedly is serving most of its full menu on Tuesday. Panera Bread and 100 Marketplace were open, too.

Bernards Township schools now will be closed for the rest of the week, according to a Tuesday update. The Bernards Board of Education now has a limited website for continuing updates notifications online again.

School officials said it would be difficult to know when school will be open again, and many roads remained impassable to school buses.

When school returns, the website said that residents should be prepared for limited transportation and cafeteria service, possibly shortened days or split schedules.

A number of places for warming and charging up electronics devices will be open during the day:

The Bernards Township Library now is open for regular hours as a warming and recharging area, and will remain open through 9 p.m. on Tuesday. Library Director Ruth Lufkin said on that wifi is working at the library, and that residents are watching election results.

The Somerset Hills YMCA in Riverwalk was scheduled to open to both members and non-members at 5:15 a.m. on Monday, providing showers, warmth and facilities. The Riverwalk Mall and nearby 100 Marketplace Mall both were functioning with power and providing food and services.

The Fellowship Deaconry at 3575 Valley Road in the Liberty Corner section also is among those offering temporary housing, warm meals, and kids activities. More information is available on the website, http://www.deaconry.org/hurricanehelp.

Millington Baptist now open

Millington Baptist Church at 520 King George Rd. has regained power by Tuesday, and the church's new building is open for warmth, charging, Internet, and free coffee.

Please post in comments if your church, organization or business is open and offering services that would be useful to the community.

Gas lines are much shorter and gas is available along Route 22 in central Somerset County