If you rely on Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) for your electric, it may be several more days before service will be fully restored.

Mark Wilson, Getty Images
Mark Wilson, Getty Images
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The utility company is currently assessing all the damage and destruction left behind by Hurricane Sandy. There are still flooded roads, downed trees and limbs, wires down and blown transformers that are making restoration difficult. Some utility crews can't even access certain areas because of the devastation and destruction.

Company spokesman Ron Morano says, "This is the worst storm in our company's history. It makes Hurricane Irene's outages look like a picnic. This is absolutely unprecedented. We are working to the best of our abilities under the dire conditions right now and we hope to have everyone back up and running soon.

In a conversation with New Jersey 101.5's Jim Gearhart on Thursday morning, Morano said 200,000 customers have been restored so far. He explained that the utility prioritizes by determining what repairs will bring the most number of people back.

He also explained that while customers may not see crews and trucks on the streets, they are working at sub stations and transmission lines & cutting trees that will facilitate the distribution of power.

At this point, the 7 to 10 day window is still in effect but Morano is hopeful that number may change. He says, "We are almost done with our assessment and the restoration process will be getting even more widespread. We have trucks out already and they are going from town to town in Ocean and Monmouth. The safety of our workers is important too. If you don't see a truck in your area, it doesn't mean we're not working on it."

The company is advising everyone to stay away from downed wires because they could be live. If you see one, or need to report an outage, call 1-888-544-4877.

Earlier this week, the company was able to restore 150,000 homes of the millions in the dark. They say, "We have a long road ahead of us."

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