TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — One of the 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 utility is a unit of FirstEnergy Corp.

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."