SANDBAGGED

1010wins ^ | Oct 13, 2005 5:50 pm | 1010wins

[Calpernia]

The National Guard was handing out sandbags in flooded areas of Essex and Passaic counties Thursday as a seventh day of relentless rain pounded New Jersey, flooding roads, trapping people in stalled cars and forcing some families from their homes near rivers or streams.

Jail prisoners were pressed into duty filling sandbags in one North Jersey community.

The northern section of the state got more than 5 inches of rain over the past two days, with an additional 2 inches expected in some places. The rain was expected to continue into Saturday.

In Fairfield, where the National Guard distributed 3,000 sandbags to help keep the rising Passaic River at bay, Debbie Baglione, 39, was moving most of her possessions from the first floor of her home near the river to the second floor. Police officers had already knocked on her door Wednesday night, warning her to be ready to evacuate if the river rose, and called Thursday afternoon with the same message.

``The river is a foot away from my patio,'' she said. ``I have a crawl space that's full of water.''

Homes in neighboring Bergen County had water lapping at their foundations as well.

``We're just bracing for the next storm,'' said Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney. ``The real heavy rain right now is in Ulster and Sullivan (counties in New York), but that's going to flow south to us, which could double what we have right now. It's also a new moon tonight, so everything's lining up. But we're not building an ark just yet.''

Bergen officials were paying particular attention to Oakland, where flood waters had already reached several homes, as well as Saddle River and Mahwah.

With several rivers in central and northern New Jersey on the rise, the state activated its emergency management office Thursday morning, preparing high-water rescue vehicles and swift-boat rescue teams for use in flooded communities.

In addition to Fairfield in Essex County, Passaic County officials also asked for sandbags, said Neal Buccino, a spokesman for the State Police Office of Emergency Management.

Prisoners from the county jail were pressed into duty at a public works garage filling the bags with road sand normally used during snow storms. Many of the bags were bound for Totowa, where serious flooding was a possibility overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

NJ Transit said its park and ride lots in Wayne on Route 23 and at Willowbrook Mall would probably be flooded Friday morning, and urged commuters to make alternate arrangements.

Some communities did voluntary evacuations overnight and Thursday morning. In Bergen County, about 300 people left their homes on their own, but only four went to emergency shelters. In some spots, families returned home Thursday as conditions were not as bad as had been feared.

But in others, particularly those along the Passaic, officials were urging residents to prepare for possible evacuations Thursday night or Friday morning, said Mary Ann Trommelen, Passaic County's deputy emergency management coordinator.

Some of the worst flooding in the state was occurring in Pompton Lakes, where the Ramapo River had already exceeded the major flood stage of 13 feet, Buccino said.

Early Thursday, Wayne evacuated 10 families from a low-lying area. Another 10 families were evacuated from the Wallisch State neighborhood of West Milford, where Belcher Creek was exceeding its banks.

The Raritan River was being closely monitored in Bound Brook and Manville, where flooding from Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 proved devastating. But the river appeared to have crested at 29 feet instead of the 33 feet forecasters had feared, and evacuation plans that were hastily made Wednesday night were not needed, said Leroy Gunzelman III, Somerset County's emergency management director.

``Bound Brook High School was set up to be a shelter, but we didn't need it,'' he said.

Sections of the Pequannock River also were rising quickly, and the Rockaway River in Boonton was expected to reach flood stage Thursday night.

The Meadowlands Racetrack, which had hoped to resume its thoroughbred racing card by Friday night, scrapped those plans, and will try again Saturday night.

The rain flooded part of the Garden State Parkway in Irvington, and led police to rescue several people from a vehicle that had stalled in flood waters in Jersey City.

[Calpernia]

NJ Office of Emerg. Mgmt.

Storm Brings Record Rainfall To NYC

FLOOD WARNING

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A FLOOD WARNING FOR...THE ASSUNPINK CREEK AT TRENTON.

...MODERATE FLOODING IS FORECAST FOR THE ASSUNPINK CREEK...

FOR THE ASSUNPINK CREEK AT TRENTON THE LATEST STAGE WAS 5.6 FEET AND FALLING AT 9 PM THURSDAY. THE ASSUNPINK CREEK AT TRENTON IS FORECAST TO RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY 2 AM FRIDAY AND CONTINUE TO RISE TO NEAR 9.0 FEET BY 8 AM FRIDAY. IT WILL THEN FALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BY FRIDAY EVENING. AT 10.0 FEET, MULBERRY STREET FLOODS. THIS CREST COMPARES TO A PREVIOUS FLOOD CREST OF 8.8 FEET ON FEB 6 2004.

DO NOT DRIVE CARS AROUND BARRICADES OR THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN.

[Calpernia]

Quack, quack

[Calpernia]

How dry I am, how dry I am
Nobody knows, how dry I am.

[Calpernia]

Psst. Did you know it's raining?

[Calpernia]

How's that new indoor pool coming?

[Calpernia]

Are you wet yet?

[Calpernia]

It's raining, it's pouring, the ole man is snoring!

[Calpernia]

Is also Tired of Rain.

[Calpernia]

You are being called back to duty!

[elli1]

Well, at least it ain't snow.

[Calpernia]

Yeah. Six feet of water flooding homes and the waters are still raising aint that bad.

[Sarajevo]

the National Guard distributed 3,000 sandbags to help keep the rising Passaic River at bay

Just 3000? That's not many, unless you're filling them....

[Cagey]

Only thirty three days and I'm setting sail.

[Calpernia]

[Calpernia]

How does the Bay look? Water high?

[Calpernia]

Over here!

[Coleus]

: )

[Cagey]

Well, the bay isn't bad at this end because the winds have been from the Northeast which pushes the water south of here so I imagine Toms River, Forked River and the western shore of the Barnegat may have problems.

A friend in the Coast Guard was telling me that there were 15 foot seas yesterday and today. I can't recall this much wind and rain for such a long period.

[Calpernia]

>>>> I imagine Toms River, Forked River and the western shore of the Barnegat may have problems.

That's towards my parents.

I've not seen anything about evacuations with this new system coming in, have one?

[Exit148]

LOL! I'm tired of lugging sopping beach towels! But think of the exercise I'm getting! There is a little brook in back of us and I can hear it, but it has never overflowed ---- yet!