by JEREMY TANNER | wpix.com

9:03 p.m. EDT, March 14, 2010
TRENTON, N.J. (WPIX)—
Governor Chris Christie has declared a state of emergency, allowing New Jersey to utilize National Guard troops, order evacuations and limit access to affected areas, if necessary.

Utility crews have been working all night trying to restore power to the hundreds of thousands of residents left in the dark after the storm knocked down utility poles and blew trees into powerlines. Monday there are still roughly 100,000 customers without electricity, down from 235,000 over the weekend.

There have also been evacuations reported -- in Atlantic City, N.J., residents were forced to leave a condominium complex and two apartment buildings after the hurricane force winds snapped a crane at the Revel Entertainment casino construction site, endangering the residences and smashing the windows of a police cruiser. Those residents are not expected to be able to return until Tuesday.

Also of concern are cresting rivers such as the Raritan River, that has reached nine feet above flood level in Bound Brook, New Jersey. Four hundred people had to be evacuated from the area, taking shelter in a Presbyterian church and high school gymnasium.

Residents were reportedly surprised to see the high water Sunday because of the light rain the night before. However, when communities such as Wayne and Bound Brook awoke, residents found that water had flooded homes, cars and businesses, leaving many roads impassible.

More rain is expected through Wednesday, but it will reportedly not cause additional flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Winds, however, are supposed to increase through the night.

For information on power outages and local weather forecasts, visit the WPIX Weather Center