Posted on 10/13/2005 7:39:31 PM PDT by 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.
Here on the coast it hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be flood-wise - we've had a stiff ENE wind churning up the ocean for the past 2-3 days, but late this afternoon into tonight the streets have finally started to fill up. We certainly aren't up to our waists in water, though - I really feel for those folks, water damage is a terrible thing.
Ah, I hear another round of rain smacking the house now.
You did know it was raining, right?
I just checked down by the bay about an hour ago, and it's gotten considerably higher here on the eastern side. All the ocean water getting pushed in through the inlets plus the rain and oversaturated ground was going to become a factor eventually.
It's raining? When did that start?????
>>>>My brother works around Middlesex County, and he reports that Bound Brook is yet again under water.
I can confirm that. Manville too.
Steady Rain Continues to Saturate Northeast As Streams, Rivers Overflow Their Banks
By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press Writer
The Associated PressThe Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. Oct 13, 2005 — Steady rain fell Thursday around the already saturated Northeast, swamping roads, stalling airline passengers and sending streams and rivers over their banks.
Flood warnings covered parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and a handful of New Jersey communities issued voluntary evacuations. More areas may face evacuations as water levels continue to rise during the day, officials warned.
Northern New Jersey has seen as much as 4.5 inches of rain in 48 hours, and the National Weather Service predicted that some areas of the state could get as much as 2 inches more by Friday.
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The storm followed a weekend deluge that dumped about 5 inches of rain across the state and as much as 10 inches in a few spots.
In New York City's Central Park, close to an inch of rain had already fallen by midmorning Thursday, on top of the 4.26 inches that fell Wednesday, breaking the date's previous record of 3.4 inches, set in 1983.
Water covered dozens of highways and roads, and incoming flights at two of the New York area's three major airports had delays of more than 90 minutes.
New Jersey activated its emergency management office on Thursday morning, preparing high-water rescue vehicle and swift-boat rescue teams as a precaution.
In northeastern New Jersey, the Ramapo River was already past the major flood stage of 13 feet at Pompton Lakes and was expected to reach 16 feet by early Friday. The Passaic River also was approaching major flood stage.
About 30 miles south, the Raritan River was being closely watched in Bound Brook and Manville, where flooding from Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 proved devastating.
The river appeared to have crested at 29 feet, 4 feet less than forecasters had feared, but evacuation could still be needed if heavy rain continued into the afternoon and evening, said Leroy Gunzelman III, Somerset County's emergency management director.
Bound Brook was among the northern New Jersey towns that issued voluntary evacuations overnight and Thursday morning. Families were already returning home in some spots, county emergency officials said.
Any talks of evacuations?
My parents live on an island down there.
Over here!
If it keeps on raining, the levee's gonna break.
Oh well, it's supposed to clear up some time before November.
Thanks for the link.
County by county flood warning information
http://www.weather.gov/alerts/nj.html
Warnings on rest of rivers now.
I'm a little north of Seaside Heights, and no word on any evacuations yet. I think everything will be OK, this isn't supposed to last too much longer - I hope!
And when the levee breaks... mama you got to move.
Now, add 100+ mph winds and you begin to get the feel of a hurricane.
Ah, you are in the same area as my folks. Thanks for the update.
We get those here too.
Yep. Been hearing it on the radio lots lately. I'm on CT shoreline, and we're getting it too.
Thanks for the ping and the photos.
Here in a hilltown in South Jersey, we're safe and sound, and the rain is only cancelling my kids' soccer practice and stopping me from raking. :-)
Good luck to those of you in flood areas!
Aside from the fact that it rained in my bedroom the first day!!! LOL......ah well, we were complaining about the drought!
Wonder how they did it!
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