Gov. Phil Murphy tours flooded New Jersey neighborhood
LODI, N.J. -- Gov. Phil Murphy toured a Bergen County neighborhood Wednesday after severe rain caused damage across the region overnight.
The torrential downpour wreaked havoc in Lodi. Murphy was on scene observing the damage and flooding.
Watch: Gov. Phil Murphy surveys flooding in Lodi
Murphy says more federal funding is needed to help families. The current state of emergency should provide some funding.
"We're gonna do everything we can to try to get to that federal ... for reimbursement, but that's gonna be hard. But everybody should release that we're doing that. They should save all their receipts, whether you're a town, a county, a home or a business. And again ... we declared a state of emergency here, which is still in effect. We'll do all that we can. Again, job number one is to keep people safe and secure," the governor said.
Hours of draining water from one South Main Street basement had yet to make a difference Wednesday.
"It's becoming more of a problem that we keep getting flooded," Bianney Garcia said.
Garcia and her family have been living in their home for decades. They say weather has been increasing in frequency and intensity.
"That's not the worst. We've gotten flooded all the way to the first floor before," she said.
She looked for answers from Murphy, who was right outside her house, taking in the aftermath of the storm.
"Have you been flooded before in prior storms?" he said.
"Yeah. Many, many, many times," Garcia said.
The flood waters were so intense, they were strong enough to carry a shipping container from the Lodi Boys and Girls Club's parking lot and down the Saddle River, where it got wedged under a bridge.
"And there's a big bend in this river, and it made it through that big bend," Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco said.
While some streets remained closed Wednesday due to flooding, state officials say federal funds are needed for large scale projects that will help mitigate the constant flooding.
"Projects such as dredging, such as doubling the size of drainage pipes, such as retention ponds, similar to what we did in a water retention space in Hoboken, which takes those waters and funnels them into places away from homes," New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said.
This is the third weather event in the last three weeks, and Murphy says they're gearing up for more inclement weather on Friday and again next Tuesday.
