TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — One of New Jersey’s largest utility companies says residents should expect power outages of a week or more once the effects of Hurricane Sandy hit the state.

A spokesman for Jersey Central Power and Light told a news conference Friday that people should take precautions now but prepare for the worst.

The state’s office of emergency management echoed those warnings. Spokeswoman Mary Goepfert says the storm likely will be worse than Hurricane Irene last year.

Gary Szatkowski, a meteorologist with the Philadelphia/Mount Holly office of the National Weather Service, says that even if the eventual path changes, New Jersey will still feel dire effects from what he calls a “very dangerous storm.”

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