SANDBAGGED

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.

MAJOR RUMORE ALERT!!!!

Word is there is sun, somewhere, in our future!

Oct 14, 2005 7:50 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) Much of the waterlogged Northeast entered its eighth straight day of rain Friday, a deluge that has trapped motorists, delayed airline flights and sent streams surging over their banks.

At least 10 people have died in the region since last weekend because of the downpours, and four others were missing in New Hampshire. Forecasters predicted another 2 to 3 inches of rain.

Flood warnings covered parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and residents in some New Jersey communities were urged to evacuate their homes.

When water from the rain-swollen Passaic River began seeping into Nick Sitarella's home, he loaded a moving van with his belongings and got out.

"I'm not taking any chances," Sitarella said. "It's a horrible way to live."

Northern New Jersey received as much as 6 inches of rain in two days. A surge of rain over the weekend dumped about 5 inches across the state and as much as 10 in a few spots.

"We are keeping a close eye on the rivers and waiting to see what happens, how high the water levels will go, especially during the overnight hours," Sgt. Barry Leventhal, spokesman for the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, said late Thursday.

The National Guard handed out thousands of sand bags in New Jersey's Essex and Passaic counties. Inmates from the Passaic County jail were pressed into duty at a public works garage filling the bags with road sand normally used during snowstorms.

Water lapped at the foundations of some Bergen County homes, and officials there expected rivers to swell even more.

"We're just bracing for the next storm," said county Executive Dennis McNerney. "But we're not building an ark just yet."

In New York's Central Park, 1.98 inches of rain fell between midnight Wednesday and 6:30 p.m. Thursday on top of 4.26 inches on Wednesday. It also broke the record for the day, which was set at 1.96 inches on Oct. 13, 1927.

Incoming flights at two of the area's three major airports were delayed by more than an hour and a half.

In Connecticut, thousands of homes and businesses lost power, including the University of Bridgeport, which canceled classes Thursday. The downpours came after widespread dry spell.

"We literally had a drought meeting the day before. I highly suspect when we get together next week, the drought for the time being is over," said Douglas Glowacki, an environmental analyst with the state of Connecticut.

Alstead, N.H., a town of 2,000, suffered the most damage from last weekend's flooding. At least 12 homes were washed away and dozens more were damaged heavily. Other parts of southwestern New Hampshire also suffered serious damage.

State lawmakers were organizing a fund-raising effort - originally planned to help Hurricane Katrina victims - for flood victims in New Hampshire.

Oct 14, 2005 7:55 am US/Eastern
(1010 WINS) FAIRFIELD, N.J. Rushing rivers surged over their banks, spilling across roads and lapping into flood-prone neighborhoods across central and northern New Jersey as rain fell on the Garden State for an eighth straight day on Friday.

Authorities reported widespread moderate flooding, especially along the Passaic and Ramapo rivers, and flood warnings were posted for rivers from Trenton north, with several expected to reach flood stage early Friday.

``We are keeping a close eye on the rivers and waiting to see what happens, how high the water levels will go, especially during the overnight hours,'' Sgt. Barry Leventhal, spokesman for the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, said late Thursday.

No fatalities or widespread forced evacuations were reported, but dozens of families in communities such as Wayne, Lodi and Bound Brook left voluntarily as knee-deep and higher floodwaters isolated their neighborhoods and made access to their homes difficult.

Authorities went door-to-door Thursday night in Wayne, Little Falls, Totowa and West Paterson alerting residents that they might need to get out on short notice. Totowa officials handed out fliers advising residents that the Passaic River was expected to rise 8 to 14 inches above the level it reached when it flooded in April.

In Fairfield, water from the Passaic was lapping at the foundations of homes in Nick Sitarella's neighborhood. He had put most of his belongings in his basement while an addition was being put on his house. But as water began to seep in Thursday, he hired a moving van and loaded it up.

``We got hit in April, we got whacked real bad, so I'm not taking any chances. It's a horrible way to live,'' Sitarella said.

The northern section of the state got more than 6 inches of rainfall over the past 48 hours, and the precipitation was forecast to continue through Friday. The National Weather Service said an area of low pressure stalled off the coast was responsible. A front moving in from the west was expected to bring relief on Saturday.

On Thursday, the state activated its emergency management center, mustering high-water vehicles and rescue teams for use in flooded communities.

In Essex County prisoners from the county jail were pressed into service at a public works garage filling sandbags with sand normally used during snow removal operations.

NJ Transit warned that two of its heavily used park and ride lots, on Route 23 in Wayne and at the Willowbrook Mall, would probably be flooded Friday morning.

Since Oct. 7, Wayne has had 12.85 inches of rain, according to Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Weather Observers. Ramsey has recorded 14.96 inches of rain, Pompton Plains 14.06 inches and Paramus 10.55 inches.

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