Mayor Jubin Shares Storm Recovery Update

WATCHUNG, NJ – Mayor Ronald Jubin, Ph.D., has released the following on updates and ongoing activities following destructive storms of 7/2/2026 – 7/6/2026

Fellow Residents, 

want to give you a direct update on storm cleanup and our work to clear roads and restore power. I’ve been in close contact with our utility providers, and I spoke with Governor Sherrill this morning who assured me maximal efforts are being directed to Watchung.

What Happened: Over the past several days, Watchung and our neighboring towns have been hit by extreme weather; a heat wave that drove power outages on 7/2, followed by a severe line of thunderstorms the evening of 7/3. Watchung took some of the hardest hits in the region, with widespread downed trees and utility poles causing road closures and outages. A flash flood alert remains in effect today, 7/6. Please stay cautious and check in on neighbors, especially elderly residents and those with medical needs.

There is a lot of tree damage that caused downed wires and equipment damage to our electrical infrastructure. At this time, there are approx. 150 customers still without power. Watchung is being worked on by multiple crews. At this time, this is the most updated information we have. We will continue to update as information becomes available and until everyone is restored.

Our largest outages are located on (39) Winter Ln, (59) Parlin Ln, (35) Ridge Rd. (17) Brook Dr, (4) Wetumpka – Due to fallen trees and equipment damage due to the downed trees. There are several large trees that came down in town causing broken poles and extensive wire damage. Crews are on the scene and in the process of removing fallen trees. Line crews are also at those locations in an effort to restore power as quickly as possible. Crews will continue working until full restoration is completed for Watchung. Crews are working around the clock, with reinforcements arriving from across the Northeast and Canada.

I’m grateful for the immediate response from our Police, Fire, Rescue, and Public Works teams. While Watchung has significant property damage, we have no reports of serious injuries here. I want to note, with real sadness, that Scotch Plains reported a storm-related fatality.

Stay Informed & Check Often for Nixle and Borough updates:

• Nixle – for safety alerts from Watchung PD. Sign up on the Watchung PD page if you haven’t already. (Text 07069 to 888777)
• MyWatchung app – for all other Borough updates and notifications. 
• Note: Social media is for information sharing only — it is not monitored by utility or internet providers. Contact them directly for service issues.

Thank you for your patience through this. Many of you I’ve spoken with directly, in person or by phone, and I’ll keep doing that. We’ll get through this together.

Respectfully,
Mayor Ronald Jubin

A PDF version of Mayor Jubin's Storm Recovery Update can be downloaded here.