With rain on the way, Penns Grove works to protect residents from flooding
PENNS GROVE, N.J. – With more rain in the forecast, officials in Penns Grove, New Jersey, say they are working to make sure residents are protected.
Officials say an 11-foot storm surge and power outage during the storm Tuesday night knocked out several local pumps that push excess water back into the nearby Delaware River.
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said the borough has partnered with Atlantic City Electric to get power back and have generators on standby to help prevent this type of flooding in the future.
"Number one, we have ensured we have the power restored," Robert Tarver said.
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"We have investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in replacing and updating our pumps. That's an effort that's been ongoing right now," Tarver said.
Residents said they've seen the crews out, but this is not the first time the pumps have gone down.
"The worry is we'll lose power and it will flood again, but if the borough says they have a generator on standby, and in fact I know they were working on it, then we'll take care of that," resident Steve Dennis said.
For now, many are just hoping they'll be OK during the next storm.
"You live near the river so you know this is a possibility. Dealing with the borough is sometimes frustrating but I believe they are doing what they can," Dennis said.
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