Gov. Phil Murphy met up with representatives from JCP&L Wednesday morning to tour the area where utility crews are staging.

More than 1,300 linemen from across the United States have come to New Jersey to help state residents get their power back. Those crews have staged at Monmouth Race Track in Oceanport. More than 180 workers are sleeping on-site in portable beds.

Monday’s story brought hurricane-force winds to a large portion of Monmouth and Ocean counties, knocking out power to thousands of people.

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"I'm a Monmouth County guy and Monmouth County was hit the hardest. There's still a lot of folks who are suffering out there and god willing they'll get their power back as soon as possible,” Murphy said.

The governor toured the site with JCP&L president Jim Fakult.

“It's different being a resident than being the governor. I have a much deeper and more comprehensive view of what's going on. This was a really bad storm and it was…intense where it hit,” Murphy said.

The governor also said that the changing climate is leading to more intense and challenging storms.

JCP&L officials say that more than 230,000 customers lost power during the storm. They say that at least 80% have had their power restored by Wednesday. But some of the hardest-hit areas may not see full restoration until Friday evening.