Power Outages

Already ravaged by Sandy, the Jersey Shore is on track to get exactly what it doesn't need: another siege of powerful, sand-removing onshore winds, perhaps gusting to 65 m.p.h. A potent, winterlike storm - perhaps strong enough to generate snow in the immediate Philadelphia area - is almost certain to punish the region from Wednesday into Thursday, meteorologists are warning. With high-wind and coastal-flood watches in effect, the likely upshot of what the National Weather Service is calling "a particularly dangerous situation" will be additional trauma for a region still picking up the millions of pieces from Sandy's destruction.

I HAD JUST FINISHED 30 minutes with the wet-vac in my basement on Tuesday when Mayor Nutter called me to let me know that a conference call had been scheduled with President Obama for later that morning. I arrived at City Hall just as the mayor and his team were returning from a press conference with SEPTA. As we sat waiting for the White House to set up the call logistics, the mayor chatted with a few of his aides and Sen. Bob Casey. The mayor was given some bad information about the number of people without power - a number that he instantly knew was too high.

Already ravaged by Sandy, the Jersey Shore is on track to get exactly what it doesn't need: another siege of powerful, sand-removing onshore winds, perhaps gusting to 65 m.p.h. A potent, winterlike storm - perhaps strong enough to generate snow in the immediate Philadelphia area - is almost certain to punish the region from Wednesday into Thursday, meteorologists are warning. With high-wind and coastal-flood watches in effect, the likely upshot of what the National Weather Service is calling "a particularly dangerous situation" will be additional trauma for a region still picking up the millions of pieces from Sandy's destruction.

Many towns in central and North Jersey, though unaffected by Shore flooding, are still struggling with the devastating effects of Sandy's high winds. Typical is Bernards Township, an affluent community in Somerset County. Police were distributing military rations to residents who had not been able to cook for five days because of power outages that by early Saturday still affected nearly 60 percent of the community, which includes the villages of Basking Ridge and Liberty Corner.

Sandy would not have been the first woman to disrupt a wedding, but Mercedes Kraus and David Fonorow weren't going to let her interfere. Kraus and Fonorow, both of Hoboken, N.J., were married on Saturday - not just in spite of Sandy, but because of it. "For a lot of guests, it's going to be a time to break away from tragedy and come out with family and friends and have this happy time for celebration," Kraus, 24, said Friday. "It's not just about us anymore. It's about everyone coming together to celebrate all the good things.

Many inland New Jersey communities, while unaffected by Shore flooding, continued to struggle with the devastating effects of Sandy's high winds. Typical was Bernards Township in Somerset County. Police were distributing military rations to residents who had not been able to cook for five days because of power outages that continued to impact nearly 60 percent of the community, which includes the villages of Basking Ridge and Liberty Corner. Bernards had received two pallets of MREs - Meals Ready to Eat - and was handing them out "until supplies run out," according to the township website.

Oil companies and government officials scrambled Friday to restore fuel deliveries to gas stations in New Jersey and New York as hurricane-related power outages caused widespread fuel shortages and hoarding. Long lines of irritated, combative customers continued to queue up at fuel stations Friday in the New York metropolitan area, where most stations were closed because of power outages. Experts say there is plenty of fuel in storage at terminals and even at many stations, but without electricity, fuel cannot be delivered to customers.

Like many others with property held hostage on New Jersey's storm-ravaged barrier islands, Acme Markets operations honcho Dan Croce had to wait until Friday before gaining access to stores that had been inaccessible on Long Beach Island and in Sea Isle City. When he finally made his way to the supermarkets - with an escort, in the case of badly destroyed LBI - what Croce saw could be described only with a single word: Humbling . Both 20,000-square-foot Acmes had been sacked by floodwaters.

Friday's "Auctions" column gave an incorrect starting time for Freeman's sale of fine jewelry and watches Monday. It begins at noon at the gallery at 1808 Chestnut St. A story Friday about power outages in Bucks County misstated how mail delivery is handled in Carversville. The postmaster supervises service for 50 customers on a motor route, but a contractor makes the deliveries. The Inquirer wants its news report to be fair and correct in every respect, and regrets when it is not. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, contact assistant managing editor David Sullivan (215-854-2357)

Steve Ward of North Jersey paid $167 at a Morrisville gas station Friday to fill up the tank of his minivan and a half-dozen containers. Dennis Kagen couldn't care less about the price as he waited to gas up his truck at the crowded Turkey Hill station in Ottsville, Upper Bucks County. "It doesn't even matter at this point. If you can get it, you get it," said Kagen, who lives about 15 miles east, across the Delaware River in Stockton, N.J. Both men considered themselves lucky to be working in Pennsylvania, where they avoided the hours-long lines and heated confrontations over gas that Sandy has produced in their home state since Monday.