Hundreds of Passaic County residents ordered to evacuate due to flooding
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. -- Flooding forced hundreds of people in Little Falls to evacuate their homes Tuesday.
The flood water there was still rising about 36 hours after it stopped raining.
Tuesday night, first responders said it was too dangerous to make any more rescues from homes in the township, so they advise anyone who may still be inside to hunker down on a dry surface until Wednesday morning.
Watch Ali Bauman's report
As water rose through the area, the DeLuca family had no choice but to take their 2-year-old son, Giovanni, and board a rescue raft.
"We lost power. We lost heat. Our basement started flooding. First level started flooding, and we had no other options," Lisa DeLuca said.
The family just moved in to their house off Main Street this week.
"I mean, we just bought a house, and all of our furniture is just... You know, it's hard to even describe," DeLuca said.
They were some of the dozen residents rescued from the frigid water by police and volunteer firefighters.
"This is kind of the last ditch effort because it did get dark so early, and maybe some people didn't listen to our early warning ... Come later tonight, the responders will not be here, unfortunately. If somebody needs help, we're not going to be able to get to them," Little Falls Police Chief Bryan Prall said.
Township officials first warned the 260 households in the flood zone to evacuate on Monday, but Tuesday afternoon is when the Passaic River really started to overflow at dangerous levels.
"We just kept seeing it rise and rise and rise. That's when it became scary," evacuated resident Janette Martinez said.
The Passaic River has flooded the area before, but almost never in the winter, when first responders have to also withstand bitter wind chills and failing utilities.
"This is my first winter flood that I've experienced. Many of the responders were even talking about it. It's normally not the weather that we're contending with, the cold," Prall said.
As rescue crews floated door to door, some residents watched their properties sink by the minute.
"Just to see how high the water actually is, so we understand what repairs that we have to do as quick as possible," property manager Tang Ho said.
"This is just one of the early phases. It's really the recovery and the restoration that really breaks your heart, seeing the damage that's been done," Little Falls Mayor James Damiano said.
With days to go before Christmas, the DeLuca family doesn't know when they'll be home.
"We're just thankful that we're here, we're breathing, and he's safe ... And we just keep going and stay strong," Anthony DeLuca said.
Some in the flood zone said they're going to take their chances, however.
"We've been here a while and we've been through this a few times, so we know kind of where the water gets to when it rises to a certain level in the river," said resident Chris Benevento.
"How does this compare to normal storms that you've seen since you've lived here?" Bauman asked.
"You know, most of the time this happens right around Saint Paddy's Day, early spring or during the hurricane season. As the snow melts in the early spring, the water collects in the rivers and we'll see the flooding, or there'll be some flooding during the hurricane, but this is unusual during the wintertime," Benevento said.
"Are you nervous about tonight? Are you nervous it's going to creep up? They're saying it's gonna rise," Bauman said.
"I'm more nervous about the power being shut off or some utilities that we won't have. I'm not worried about the flooding," Benevento said.
The mayor says he expects the water to start receding by Wednesday morning, and he's hoping residents can start returning to their houses by Wednesday afternoon. Whether or not they'll be able to stay there depends on the extent of the damage.
The nearby Civic Center has been opened for emergency shelter. Pets are not permitted.