xpgeek
14-10-2005, 09:53 PM
From Newark Star-Ledger
Friday, October 14, 2005
Flooding likely to worsen as rain enters an 8th day
Rain soaked much of New Jersey yesterday for the seventh day in a row, flooding roads and forcing evacuations as sections of the Passaic and Ramapo rivers began overflowing their banks. In Central Jersey, closely watched rivers such as the Raritan did not rise as high as predicted, and the flood threat seemed to recede. But in the northern part of the state, the worst seemed to lie ahead. With up to 2 more inches of rain forecast for today, emergency management officials in Essex and Passaic counties said they were preparing for possible severe flooding late tonight or early tomorrow.
In Fairfield, Essex County, police declared a state of emergency yesterday. They used a reverse-911 notification system to provide residents with updates every four hours, and urged those living near the Passaic River to leave and shut off their utilities. Police said those who have not left voluntarily by this morning will be evacuated. The Passaic River is expected to crest at 2 a.m. tomorrow. "If they need assistance, we'll help them," Lt. Steven Gutkin said. "But we recommend they get out now on their own."
Late last night in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, about two dozen homes were being evacuated as Fletcher Lake went over its banks, according to Monmouth County emergency management coordinator Harry Conover. The flooding began when the lake, located between Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach, overflowed about 11 p.m., Conover said. He said he expected more evacuations as the waters continued to rise until high tide at 5 a.m. today. The evacuees were being directed to a firehouse, with a senior citizen center being prepared to receive additional residents, he added.
Fearful of a replay of a 1984 flood that damaged homes in the area, Essex County officials asked the National Guard to deliver 3,000 sandbags. By yesterday evening, residents had begun driving to the municipal complex to load them into their trucks and SUVs. Eileen Hill of Ray Place in Fairfield was among them, filling the back of a pickup truck. She said she would give the sandbags to a neighbor to put around the garage and front doors. In Fairfield, she said, "everybody comes together. You can depend on a neighbor." Nearby, under a steady drizzle, Ciro Vonoflorio loaded sandbags into a jeep. "I've been watching the news," he said. "It seems like it gets worse and worse." The town has opened a shelter at the Fairfield Community Center.
Elsewhere in Essex County, the rain caused mudslides on hilly areas and widespread urban flooding, especially in the Ironbound section of Newark, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. "It's just a mess everywhere you turn," he said. Passaic County also was girding for the worst. Prisoners from the county jail were put to work filling bags with road sand normally used during snowstorms. County officials were concerned about possible flooding overnight in Little Falls. NJ Transit predicted its park-and-ride lots in Wayne would be flooded this morning. It urged commuters to make other arrangements.
With more than 5 inches of rain over the previous two days and more on the way, the State Police Office of Emergency Management was activated yesterday morning. Personnel were posted around-the-clock to coordinate responses between local officials and state agencies. High-water rescue vehicles stood ready to aid in flooded neighborhoods, spokesman Neal Buccino said.
In Lincoln Park, Morris County, flooding yesterday forced authorities to close off 30 streets and evacuate 40 people by truck and boat. Five people were expected to stay at the borough's emergency shelter, borough administrator Joe Maiella said. In Bergen County, about 500 people voluntarily left their homes overnight Wednesday and yesterday morning. The main trouble spots were the low-lying boroughs of Lodi and Oakland. In Lodi, about 100 residents voluntarily left their homes when the Saddle River flooded Main and Sidney streets. People without sump pumps in their basement escaped to relatives' homes or a local elementary school. "It was horrible. It was very scary," said Tracey Colon, 38, whose 17-year-old daughter had been evacuated, sobbing, by boat the night before. Colon and her husband stayed behind to put possessions out of harm's way and monitor the situation.
In Oakland, local rescue crews used inflatable boats to ferry to safety some 35 of the 110 families who live in the Pleasureland section, a forested neighborhood of bungalows by the Ramapo River. Many left with their pets, including a resident with five cats. One man with a goat asked rescuers if the animal could come along; they agreed, but he decided to remain behind anyway. Joe Wigherd, who lives along the Ramapo with his family, traveled from his job to his house several times yesterday, in the hard rain, to see if the river had reached his front door. During one trip, he lifted things off the basement floor. "It's nerve-racking," he said. Sue Krista, another resident, wandered around the neighborhood, anxiously watching the water rise. "This wears on your nerves," she said. Krista said her home was still being renovated from the last flood. Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began working on a nearby dam in September 2004, there have been six floods, she said. Jerri Angermueller, an Oakland resident who voluntarily evacuated her home Wednesday night, returned yesterday to watch the rescue efforts. She bought her house in 1985 and put it up on stilts two years later. The prospect of a flood always make her nervous, she said, but during fine weather, "it's very beautiful down here."
In Somerset and Hunterdon counties, officials said they felt as if they had dodged a bullet. The Raritan River crested at 29 feet in Bound Brook yesterday morning, instead of the predicted 33 feet, said Somerset County Emergency Management Coordinator LeRoy Gunzelman III. "We're in good shape," he said. In Manville, often visited by floods, officials were not so optimistic. "Right now, we're playing a wait-and-see game with this next round of rain," said Manville official Ken Otrimski.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Flooding likely to worsen as rain enters an 8th day
Rain soaked much of New Jersey yesterday for the seventh day in a row, flooding roads and forcing evacuations as sections of the Passaic and Ramapo rivers began overflowing their banks. In Central Jersey, closely watched rivers such as the Raritan did not rise as high as predicted, and the flood threat seemed to recede. But in the northern part of the state, the worst seemed to lie ahead. With up to 2 more inches of rain forecast for today, emergency management officials in Essex and Passaic counties said they were preparing for possible severe flooding late tonight or early tomorrow.
In Fairfield, Essex County, police declared a state of emergency yesterday. They used a reverse-911 notification system to provide residents with updates every four hours, and urged those living near the Passaic River to leave and shut off their utilities. Police said those who have not left voluntarily by this morning will be evacuated. The Passaic River is expected to crest at 2 a.m. tomorrow. "If they need assistance, we'll help them," Lt. Steven Gutkin said. "But we recommend they get out now on their own."
Late last night in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, about two dozen homes were being evacuated as Fletcher Lake went over its banks, according to Monmouth County emergency management coordinator Harry Conover. The flooding began when the lake, located between Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach, overflowed about 11 p.m., Conover said. He said he expected more evacuations as the waters continued to rise until high tide at 5 a.m. today. The evacuees were being directed to a firehouse, with a senior citizen center being prepared to receive additional residents, he added.
Fearful of a replay of a 1984 flood that damaged homes in the area, Essex County officials asked the National Guard to deliver 3,000 sandbags. By yesterday evening, residents had begun driving to the municipal complex to load them into their trucks and SUVs. Eileen Hill of Ray Place in Fairfield was among them, filling the back of a pickup truck. She said she would give the sandbags to a neighbor to put around the garage and front doors. In Fairfield, she said, "everybody comes together. You can depend on a neighbor." Nearby, under a steady drizzle, Ciro Vonoflorio loaded sandbags into a jeep. "I've been watching the news," he said. "It seems like it gets worse and worse." The town has opened a shelter at the Fairfield Community Center.
Elsewhere in Essex County, the rain caused mudslides on hilly areas and widespread urban flooding, especially in the Ironbound section of Newark, Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. "It's just a mess everywhere you turn," he said. Passaic County also was girding for the worst. Prisoners from the county jail were put to work filling bags with road sand normally used during snowstorms. County officials were concerned about possible flooding overnight in Little Falls. NJ Transit predicted its park-and-ride lots in Wayne would be flooded this morning. It urged commuters to make other arrangements.
With more than 5 inches of rain over the previous two days and more on the way, the State Police Office of Emergency Management was activated yesterday morning. Personnel were posted around-the-clock to coordinate responses between local officials and state agencies. High-water rescue vehicles stood ready to aid in flooded neighborhoods, spokesman Neal Buccino said.
In Lincoln Park, Morris County, flooding yesterday forced authorities to close off 30 streets and evacuate 40 people by truck and boat. Five people were expected to stay at the borough's emergency shelter, borough administrator Joe Maiella said. In Bergen County, about 500 people voluntarily left their homes overnight Wednesday and yesterday morning. The main trouble spots were the low-lying boroughs of Lodi and Oakland. In Lodi, about 100 residents voluntarily left their homes when the Saddle River flooded Main and Sidney streets. People without sump pumps in their basement escaped to relatives' homes or a local elementary school. "It was horrible. It was very scary," said Tracey Colon, 38, whose 17-year-old daughter had been evacuated, sobbing, by boat the night before. Colon and her husband stayed behind to put possessions out of harm's way and monitor the situation.
In Oakland, local rescue crews used inflatable boats to ferry to safety some 35 of the 110 families who live in the Pleasureland section, a forested neighborhood of bungalows by the Ramapo River. Many left with their pets, including a resident with five cats. One man with a goat asked rescuers if the animal could come along; they agreed, but he decided to remain behind anyway. Joe Wigherd, who lives along the Ramapo with his family, traveled from his job to his house several times yesterday, in the hard rain, to see if the river had reached his front door. During one trip, he lifted things off the basement floor. "It's nerve-racking," he said. Sue Krista, another resident, wandered around the neighborhood, anxiously watching the water rise. "This wears on your nerves," she said. Krista said her home was still being renovated from the last flood. Since the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began working on a nearby dam in September 2004, there have been six floods, she said. Jerri Angermueller, an Oakland resident who voluntarily evacuated her home Wednesday night, returned yesterday to watch the rescue efforts. She bought her house in 1985 and put it up on stilts two years later. The prospect of a flood always make her nervous, she said, but during fine weather, "it's very beautiful down here."
In Somerset and Hunterdon counties, officials said they felt as if they had dodged a bullet. The Raritan River crested at 29 feet in Bound Brook yesterday morning, instead of the predicted 33 feet, said Somerset County Emergency Management Coordinator LeRoy Gunzelman III. "We're in good shape," he said. In Manville, often visited by floods, officials were not so optimistic. "Right now, we're playing a wait-and-see game with this next round of rain," said Manville official Ken Otrimski.