The Alternative Press

PATERSON, NJ - Two days after Hurricane Sandy, tens of thousands of Patersonians were still without power as of Thursday afternoon with little sign of relief in sight.

Official estimates varied on the exact number of city homes that remained in the dark, ranging from 25,000 to 48,000.

"We have not seen any sign of any Public Service crews in the city yet,'' said Mayor Jeffrey Jones. "We still have trees dangling on power lines and those lines are still hot.''

"We're crippled right now,'' said City Council President Anthony Davis. "There are people without power. People without food. They can't take a bath. They can't get gas for their car.''

Both Jones and Davis are among those residents whose homes have no electricity. Across the state, more than 1.8 million still had no power, and more than 95,000 of them were in Passaic County.

About 110 people remained in the city's shelter at International High School, according to Emergency Management Dircetor Glenn Brown.