Lights are coming back bits and pieces in New Jersey, apparently faster than in NY. Traffic is not being allowed into Manhattan from New Jersey; Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and GW Bridge are out only.

People are standing on the street corners in Manhattan, some for hours, to get out into the outer boroughs. Buses are on their regular routes, and some are passing passengers empty, causing some anger. You'll probably hear more about that.

NY governor Petaki has declared a state of emergency and called out the National Guard, but the NYC officials are saying they don't need them now. The NYC police have been called in, all but midnight shift on duty; midnight shift will come on as normal. As of now, all officers are on 12 on/12 off shifts until the crisis is over.

Several jurisdictions in New Jersey have also called a state of emergency; Orange County is almost in lockdown, with curfew at 8 p.m., only limited traffic allowed on the streets. Essex County (Newark area) is also in crisis mode.

Everyone is reporting that crime has not been a huge problem thus far; one murder has been reported, and there is a lot of price gouging as people try to get necessary things. One person reported someone charging $5 for a bottle of water. No reporting of looting or other attacks.

The trains in the Jersey system are several hours away from full functioning. An official is talking right now, and saying it will take 6-8 hours from the time power comes back before they will be up. They have to do a full check of the system and its switches to make sure they're working correctly. There've been no reports of injuries or illnesses amongest the people who were stranded on the trains.