Overnight rainfall and runoff turned the Saddle River into a raging torrent. In Lodi, 100 residents were evacuated in emergency water rescues. The river was just one of several in New Jersey that burst their banks after a downpour that dumped up to 4 inches of rain across an already saturated state. Tidal flooding along the Delaware River broke records.
In Lodi, it’s the fifth time in six years that Francisco Santiago’s house has flooded.
“It sucks. They’ve got to do something better than this,” he said. “The water’s all the way backed up here. The waste pipes are backed up now. … It’s bad.” Santiago’s wife and one-year-old went to stay with relatives Tuesday night. Santiago has filled doors and windows with foam and he’s keeping pumps running, but he’s tired. “It’s emotional. It’s tough,” he said.
Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said people from Carlstadt and Moonachie also needed water rescue as river and tidal floods swept into neighborhoods.
Rising rivers forced police to block roads across the state. Schools closed, people missed work, and residents vented their anger over yet another flood impacting their lives, destroying homes and hurting business.
“Last year we were closed five or six times due to flooding. So every day we’re closed, no money coming in,” said Garfield resident Kevin Kane.
Tom Koziol, who owns a block of 27 apartments in Lodi, said “All the politicians — they said, ‘Can’t do anything for you. You’re on your own.’ For me, we got flood insurance. But these tenants down here shouldn’t have to go through this, year after year.”
The Saddle River is not slated to crest until sometime on Thursday, along with other river systems that are still being fed by runoff following the storm.
Sarah Johnson of the National Weather Service said even a couple of inches of rain can hit hard if the ground is already soaked.
“Those areas were already primed from the two December storms, not to mention the storm we just had a few days ago. … The ground was already very saturated, so any additional water quickly became runoff,” Johnson said.
In Paterson, a dozen people had to be rescued. “We also had to close 30 streets within two hours – due to the flash flooding that occurred,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh. Sayegh, who noted the Passaic River is expected to crest at 5 p.m. Thursday, said the city needs funds to build flood controls.
