NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Powerful storms passed through our area Friday afternoon, causing road closures and power outages. A house on Rose Street in East Rutherford, New Jersey was struck by lightning around 3 p.m. No one was injured, but the 94-year-old homeowner was inside when he said the floors and walls suddenly felt like they were shaking. Bricks fell onto his driveway and the roof of his neighbor’s garage. “I’m happy everyone’s safe, no one’s injured. The house can be fixed, i’s just the chimney, no big deal,” said his son. The MTA said there is no Staten Island Railroad service in either direction between St. George and Tottenville, because of flooding. Shuttle buses are on their way to assist. New Jersey TRANSIT said it’s accepting bus tickets and passes system-wide due to weather-related conditions. As of 8 p.m., Con Edison was reporting more than 11,300 customers without power. JCP&L had more than 3,100 customers in the dark; Orange and Rockland had more than 2,000 customers out and PSE&G had more than 1,200 out. “The bulk of the outages are in Staten Island with more than 10,000 customers out due to storms moving through our service territory,” Con Ed said in a statement. Public Service Electric and Gas Company issued a warning to its customers with tips on dangers to be on the lookout for: Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything it might be in contact with. If a wire falls on or near your car, stay inside the car, call 911. To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline-powered generators in a garage or any other enclosed space. Suffering a power outage or have an issue to report to your local utility company? Here’s a list of the usual suspects from around our area to reach for help. ConEdison : 1-800-752-6633 Central Hudson : 845-452-2700 NYSEG : 1-800-572-1111 National Grid : 1-800-930-5003 (Long Island & the Rockaways) or 1-800-642-4272 (Upstate New York) PSE&G New Jersey : 1-800-436-7734 PSEG Long Island : 1-800-490-0025 or 631-755-6000 Rochester Gas & Electric : 1-800-743-2110 National Fuel : 1-800-365-3234 For more about dealing with the summer heat, check out our Guide to Summer Safety .
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Strong Storms Cause Road Closures, Power Outages Across Tri-State Area
