JCP&L came under harsh criticism from Gov. Phil Murphy Saturday afternoon while crews work to get power back on to tens of thousands of New Jersey residents. 

"JCP&L's preparation for and response to the past week's weather events is completely unacceptable,” said the governor. “I will not accept any of the company's excuses for why thousands of New Jerseyans continue to be without power. I am prepared to use all the authority at my disposal to get power restored."

JCP&L president Jim Fakult says, "The damage to our system has been substantial, with more than 600 broken poles and more than 1,700 spans of wire needing to be replaced."

The utility hopes to have everyone back up and running by Tuesday.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, PSE&G has about 7,800 customers without power. Essex County has the most with about 2,800.