Electric service is slowly being restored, but many New Jersey residents are still without power. With the weather turning colder, people are hoping the electricity comes back on soon.

Seaview Village is an adult community in Brick Township. Many of the senior citizens, some of them in their 80’s, have been living in homes without electricity for a week now.

Like many of her neighbors, Judy Murdoch is just trying to cope with it.

 “At night we’re playing cards by candlelight or I have a headlamp thing and we’re reading. We’re bundling up, we’re layering, the bed is warm and we have quilts on the bed. So we’re managing. It’s survival of the fittest.”

Sonjia Salem says she’s doing her best to stay warm.

 “My husband was lucky enough to find a small little tiny propane heater, and we only use it just to take the chill out at night before we go to bed. A lot of blankets and comforters, and sleep with the dogs, you know Three Dog Night. I used to wonder where they got the name from that group. Well now I know you sleep with three dogs. That’s how cold the night is.”

Mike Bandarovich says he doesn’t regret deciding to stay at home despite the lack of electricity.

“Last year we left when Irene came, and the village never lost power. So this we said well we’ll try it and never thought it would be this long. My mother is 88 years old. We’re able to cope with it. We still have the food. We’re not going hungry. We’re doing good.”

The sidewalks in front of some of the homes were piled with rugs and household items damaged by floodwaters the storm surge pushed into homes from a lagoon near Barnegat Bay.