Media Coverage

Daily Record
By Matt Manochio and Tehani Schneider
April 18, 2007

200 evacuated in Lincoln Park, Pequannock

Damage assessed as officials plan to ask for federal aid

More than 200 Pequannock and Lincoln Park residents remained evacuated Tuesday from their homes near the flooded Passaic and Pompton rivers, while in some areas water seemed to be receding, officials said.

The evacuations had begun Sunday night as a nor'easter dumped a record amount of rain and caused severe flooding in many areas across the state. Officials were tallying up the damage Tuesday and planned to ask for federal disaster designation, which would make cleanup costs eligible for federal aid.

"They might still be having some shelters open in those two areas," county Emergency Management Coordinator Richard Loock said Tuesday about Pequannock and Lincoln Park.

He said parts of Parsippany had voluntary evacuations due to the overflowing Rockaway River, but nobody showed up to the shelter set up at the high school.

"Everything seems to be OK," Loock said of the Rockaway River. "The water seems to be receding."

In Lincoln Park, borough police Sgt. Michael Runfeldt said approximately 120 residents had been evacuated as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, and more than 20 stayed at a shelter at the borough's PAL building on Boonton Turnpike.

Of the two dozen Lincoln Park roads that were closed by floodwaters Monday, only one -- Beaverbrook Road --reopened to traffic Tuesday. Bog and Vly Lane are expected to open by this morning, he said.

One thoroughfare --Two Bridges Road --will be closed for several days, and there currently is no access to Routes 23, 46 and 80. Motorists are advised to use Route 202 South to Montville to 287 and 80.

Officials expected the Pompton to crest on Tuesday, and the Passaic to follow suit this morning.

"At that point, we're hopeful they'll start receding," Runfeldt said.

Farther north, state officials were forced to close Route 23 from the Newark-Pompton Turnpike in Pompton Plains to Wayne, because of flooding of streams coupled with water from the Pequannock River.

In Pequannock, more than 100 residents were evacuated from their homes by Pequannock Fire Companies 1 and 2, and several evacuees sought shelter at the senior building on the Newark-Pompton Turnpike.

Pequannock police said the area of the township south of Alexander Avenue and east of the Turnpike sustained the most damage from the storm and water levels, rendering the area impassable.

Officials said the Pequannock River appeared to have leveled off Tuesday, and water was beginning to recede in areas. Township officials said a limited supply of flood cleanup kits are available at the Pequannock Department of Public Works.

Counseling offered

Residents of local communities displaced or otherwise affected by recent flooding can seek crisis counseling through NewBridge, a nonprofit provider of behavioral health and education programs and services, which has staff available to help people deal with the emotional toll of flooding.

"Our clinicians are prepared to provide crisis counseling and outreach services to those families and individuals," said Michelle Borden, associate executive director of NewBridge. "People have lost their homes, their furnishings, their clothing. They need our help, as do the families who have opened their homes to them."

NewBridge has worked with storm victims in the past in cooperation with FEMA, the American Red Cross, the Mental Health Associations of both Morris and Passaic counties and faith-based organizations to identify those in need of counseling and support.

Those affected by the disaster who could benefit from speaking with a professional can call (973) 316-9333 in Morris County, and those in Passaic County can call (973) 728-3938.

Acting Gov. Richard Codey, through his office, listed flood-related conditions that still existed as of Tuesday afternoon:

• The Board of Public Utilities said 3,000 customers were still without power statewide.
• 14 segments of highway are partially or completely closed across the state, down from a high of more than 70 yesterday.
• NJ Transit crews have restored service on all lines affected by the storm. Service on all rail lines will operate normally.
• More than 900 people are still in shelters in Bound Brook as a result of the flooding there.
• Most of the major rivers, including the Delaware and the Raritan, have crested and are receding.
• The Delaware River will not flood, and fears about interruptions to Northeast Corridor Train Service were not borne out.
• Water in Bound Brook and Manville is still above the flood stage but is also receding.
• There was the potential for the Passaic River to rise very slightly around Little Falls late Tuesday evening, and that was being monitored closely.

Good news in Netcong

In Netcong, the owners of a flooded business on Railroad Avenue learned that the machines they thought might have been destroyed by the water might be salvageable.

Conrado Corp., a precision screw parts manufacturing company, suffered water damage to its eight machines, each worth $250,000, when Railroad Avenue flooded on Sunday, according to Monica Conrado, daughter of Hector Conrado, the owner of the business.

The Conrados have since learned that the machines might not be a total write-off, Monica Conrado said. But repairs to each of them would cost upward of $30,000 according to estimates, she said.

The company had also received a quote of $50,000 for cleanup of a machine cutting oil spill in the building that resulted from the flooding, Conrado said.

The water on the street had been drained by Monday night, Conrado said.

The Railroad Avenue flooding was caused by overflow from a 22-foot-deep drainage culvert beneath New Jersey Transit railroad tracks running parallel to the street, according to Netcong Councilman James Arbolino. Overflow because of debris blockage in the culvert had occurred before, and the borough had been in touch with New Jersey Transit in the past regarding arranging regular maintenance of the culvert to avoid the problem, he said.

Assessing the damage

Loock, the county's emergency management coordinator, was working on a preliminary list of costs that both the county and municipalities incurred dealing with the storm.

"We're going to be doing a preliminary damage assessment," he said.

Governments will be tallying costs both related to physical damage to buildings, as well as overtime hours worked by emergency officials and police.

The state will receive 21 preliminary damage assessments and will draft a document to be signed by Acting Gov. Richard Codey to be sent to President Bush asking for a presidentially-declared disaster.

This will enable the state to received federal funding -- or 75 percent of the total amount submitted by the state. Loock said it's possible for the state to kick in the remaining 25 percent, but that's not certain.