New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy visits flood-ravaged Little Falls as Passaic River continues to rise
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. -- Days after a major storm left rivers overflowing and roads inundated, flooding remains a concern in some New Jersey communities.
Residents in one section of Little Falls are bracing for severe flooding as the Passaic River continues rising from Tuesday's storm.
The river is expected to crest Thursday evening and homeowners in the flood zone are concerned their streets will be under water.
"Flooding is imminent. Evacuate the area now," said officials in emergency vehicles, warning residents to seek higher ground.
The same area was covered with more than a foot of water during a storm in December.
Gov. Phil Murphy visited Little Falls on Thursday to assure residents and officials their community will be protected. Murphy walked along a street where residents are no strangers to being in a storm's path.
"We're getting dragged by Mother Nature, not just here in New Jersey, around the country, arguably around the world," said Murphy.
Murphy's administration has been criticized by several mayors for not opening up flood gates at the Pompton Dam before the storm on Tuesday.
"They will tell you the science is on the side of the actions that they've taken. That if they were to take contrary actions, you'd have actually unintended consequences and worse results, maybe in different towns," said Murphy.
While the governor said people living in low-lying areas are used to flooding, he said storms have become more frequent in recent years.
This storm marked the third weather event in three weeks, and more severe weather is expected Friday night.
"This area could very well be under 18 to 24 inches of water. This area where we're standing was under that much water three weeks ago. Again, we're prepared for the worst, but hoping for the best," said Little Falls Mayor James Damiano.
Murphy said the state needs to work with the federal government to come up with a long-term solution.
"We need big resiliency investments. Whether that's dredging rivers or redirecting currents. Sort of bigger picture things," said Murphy.
Officials said elevating homes is one solution, but not everyone can afford it.
- Read More: Passaic River expected to cause major flooding in coming days: "Nobody deserves to live like this"
"The real answer is elevations for these homes. Everybody that I talked to whose home is elevated, after this last storm three weeks ago, had heat, had hot water when they returned to their homes," said Damiano.
Sam Cordero has been living in Little Falls for decades. He built up his house to fight Mother Nature's wrath, raising everything up, but it's taking a toll.
"I am worried about my stuff. I put it higher ground and I use two pumps. They work 24/7," said Cordero.
Cordero said he lives in this part of Little Falls because taxes are low in a state that has one of the highest property taxes in the nation. But he can't elevate his home because it has a basement, he said.
Other homeowners said they should have never built in this area.
"You keep building, there's no place for the water to go," said Bom Dombrowski.
- Related story: Paterson, NJ residents torn between trying to ride out flooding or heading to higher ground
Damiano said many residents have taken steps to elevate their homes.
"This funding is going to be more readily available to these people who are looking to elevate their homes. It will be easier to access. They will be able to deal with their own contractors," said Domiano.
Wednesday, Murphy toured flood-ravaged communities in Bergen County.
"We see this with increasing frequency and with increasing intensity. We have invested enormous amounts in resiliency and mitigation, but we are still getting dragged by this," he said.
Meanwhile, dozens of flooded roads remained closed in Wayne, where Mayor Chris Vergano said he hoped Route 23 reopened sometime Thursday.
Vergano said Pompton River flood levels were slightly below levels from the December storm.
"Unfortunately it's the same people that got impacted three weeks ago that are getting impacted today. So it's really unfortunate that they really didn't have a Christmas and now here we are and it's January," said Vergano.
Many businesses in Wayne remained closed because of street flooding. Vergano said he heped the businesses could also reopen Thursday.
Follow the First Alert Weather team for the latest forecast and coverage of the cleanup.
