LITTLE FALLS, N.J. -- The Passaic River at Little Falls crested early Wednesday morning, but water started filling the streets long before.
An aluminum dinghy moved by manpower was the source of safe passage for Little Falls residents on Parkway.
Augusto Kelly ferried folks from their water-locked homes to drier ground for work, school and food. When CBS New York's Vanessa Murdock caught up with him after a couple of trips, he had pizza for himself and a neighbor stacked a few boxes high.
Some opted to stay at home, despite evacuation orders, including Andy Solomon.
"I stayed. I have five dogs, so I'm not leaving them," Solomon said.
A high-water vehicle helped him get to town Wednesday morning for essentials, and thanks to Kelly, he's heading home again. Solomon shared the flooding only nicked him.
"Just a little bit of water in the basement, nothing to cry about," he said.
Many we spoke to said water in the basement is the worst it got for them during this latest round of flooding from the Passaic, but Little Falls Public Information Officer Ryan Hoyt shared water did make it into some living rooms, and rescues became necessary for 16 residents Tuesday night. CBS New York caught those rescues unfolding.
A mother and son attempted to return home Wednesday after evacuating Tuesday night. Mom needed her medication, but the cold water quickly became too deep to complete the trek home. The two turned around and awaited safe passage. Their wait was not long.
Albaro Saenz showed up with his neighbor's boat in tow -- his kids dry and hungry inside. They made the journey to grab lunch and took time to describe the scene at home for us.
"Water in the backyard, some in the basement. My neighbor, behind me, they have full basement," he said.
"It's like a pool, basically," 12-year-old Tezza Saenz said.
"I've been seeing it get higher. It's about to be as high as the deck," 9-year-old Albaro Saenz said.
Albaro and Tezza shared this is not the first flood their dad has floated them through.
"Not this deep, though," Tezza said.
Once lunch arrived, the Saenz family went off with the mother and son neighbors, all rowing to help ease the burden brought on by more than 5 inches of rain Monday.
"We're hoping to see the floodwaters recede by around 9 a.m. on Friday, and at that point, maybe transition into our recovery," Hoyt said.
Hoyt says recovery includes restoration of utilities for residents.
"Just simply getting them back into their homes at that point to assess the damage," he said.
Then, clean-up can begin.
The Little Falls mayor says eight people have been rescued so far Wednesday, and residents have until 6 p.m. to request help. The mayor added first responders will not be helping residents back to their homes Wednesday night.
This flood is the ninth worst on record for Little Falls, far behind the havoc unleashed by Hurricane Irene in 2011.
The Link Lonk
December 21, 2023 at 05:04AM
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiUGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNic25ld3MuY29tL25ld3lvcmsvbmV3cy9saXR0bGUtZmFsbHMtZmxvb2RpbmctcGFzc2FpYy1yaXZlci1jcmVzdHMv0gFUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2JzbmV3cy5jb20vYW1wL25ld3lvcmsvbmV3cy9saXR0bGUtZmFsbHMtZmxvb2RpbmctcGFzc2FpYy1yaXZlci1jcmVzdHMv?oc=5
Little Falls residents continue to navigate flooded streets while waiting for water to recede - CBS New York
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment