Powerful storm floods riverside communities in Bergen County, New Jersey: "We can't keep going through this"
OAKLAND, N.J. -- Residents along several rivers in Bergen County woke up to floodwaters again Wednesday, and some communities are still waiting for the worst.
CBS New York's Elijah Westbrook spent the morning in several impacted towns. At noon, he reported from Carlstadt, where the flooding prompted evacuations.
Several parking lots badly flooded along Gotham Parkway, making it difficult for people to get to their cars or, in some cases, leave their buildings.
The fire department set up a command across the street for anyone who may need help evacuating.
Westbrook began his morning in Oakland, where the waters had started to recede after pouring onto properties overnight.
The flood area sits right between two bodies of water -- Crystal Lake to one side and the Ramapo River on the other. One longtime resident said it was so bad, the fire department had to come out.
"About 12:30 this morning, I was woken up by the fire department, because at that time they'll ask you if you want to evacuate and everything. So I went outside, checked our lake, which is Crystal Lake, and it was completely starting to go in the backyard. Then, the road here was completely covered where you couldn't get a vehicle through," she said. "We're still concerned, because they're going to say it's going to crest this afternoon, and the river is really high."
Another resident walking his dog said his roof started leaking under the stress of the heavy rainfall.
"It was about a-quarter-to-3 and all of a sudden, I feel something dripping on my head. I'm like, 'Oh no.' Got out of bed, woke up the wife, turned the lights on, and I see water dripping out of my ceiling fan," said Howard Mednikoff. "I felt like Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz.' It was really bad. I don't know if something fell. I didn't hear a big clunk on my roof, so I don't know if a tree fell. It's too dark for me to see."
Watch Tony Sadiku live in Lodi
Westbrook later went to Rochelle Park, where residents on Cedar Drive had to walk in knee-deep water to move their cars.
"My yard is flooded because there's a storm drain that runs through the whole thing. I have probably a good foot and a half of water against my fence line," resident Robert Belli said.
"We get water here, usually when the rain is real heavy. But now, it's 2-3-inch rains. We're starting to get water up the street, and that's killing us here. You've got to sit and worry all day about water going in your garage, down your basement. Three times already I lost the basement and the first level," another resident said.
Westbrook asked him what's next for his neighbors on the block.
"We've got to hope the water stops and starts receding, which it looks like it might be now. But we can't keep going through this," the man replied. "The town has done nothing to help anybody here with the flooding. They just put cones up and say don't go down the street. But I'll be looking to sell in the spring."
Officials with the Rochelle Park Office of Emergency Management said they did not receive any calls about people being trapped, damage to homes or injuries, but they continue to monitor the situation.
Hear from Gov. Phil Murphy on storm impact
The nearby Saddle River also breached its banks and flooded in Lodi. CBS New York's Tony Sadiku reported from Main Street, where the water crested around 10 feet, submerging the street from Sydney to Kennedy.
Public schools closed for the day, along with several local businesses. One business owner said he was there since 4:30 watching the water rise.
"They said 12 o'clock is supposed to be the height of the crest, so, hopefully, it will only crest another foot and then it won't go inside my building. If it does, then we're in trouble," said Frank Staffa. "This is bad, but I've never seen it this high."
Sadiku also spoke with residents on Money Street who said it's some of the worst flooding they've seen in years.
"Downtown, there's literately rushing water going over people's houses, flooding people out of their apartments. They've got the cops pulling people out by the school," one man said. "Seems like it's all just coming this way and going into downtown. The people over there, they've got boats ready to do something and get people out of there."
It was officially the seventh-highest crest for the river on record.
Watch Paterson mayor on storm impact
Downstream in Passaic County, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh reported a dozen rescues and 30 street closures due to localized flooding. He said at least 20 people were accommodated at a shelter and no injuries were reported.
Sayegh told CBS New York his team is keeping an eye on the Passaic River, which caused devastating flooding last month.
"Expected to crest tomorrow at approximately 5 p.m., and it could be 10 feet or more," he said at a briefing later in the morning. "Which is a similar situation to what occurred a few weeks ago, which would adversely impact residents who are in the low-lying areas."
CBS New York also spoke with the mayor of Little Falls, who said, so far, the town has only seen localized street flooding -- nothing like the damage from a few weeks ago.
"Now, of course, all focus is turned to the Passaic River, where we're continuing to monitor the gauges," said Mayor James Damiano. "Stay strong. We're going to get through this together, and Little Falls will be there for you."
Hear from Little Falls mayor on storm impact
Gov. Phil Murphy issued a state of emergency for the storm that's expected to wrap up Wednesday. He told CBS New York's Chris Wragge the flood concerns aren't in the clear.
"A decent amount of flooding, a decent amount of power outages. It was a storm about as we expected, and thank God it's through the system," Murphy said. "We've got something else coming in in a couple of days, and the worry there is the cumulative effect will have a big impact here with such saturated ground in particular."
Wragge asked the governor about back-to-back storms, and what more can be done to help local municipalities with their mitigation efforts.
"There's good news and then there's challenging news," Murphy replied. "The good news is we work well with these mayors and we've made some significant progress. The bad news is Mother Nature ain't going away. The storms are more frequent and more intense, and we are -- not just in New Jersey, I'd say, in American and around the world -- we're chasing these storms, as opposed to getting out ahead of them."
- Read More: State of emergency in New Jersey for heavy rain and flood risks, particularly along Passaic River
Schools in Paramus, Ridgewood and Montclair had a two-hour delayed opening Wednesday, and Paterson schools were to be dismissed early. Students in Woodland Park have remote classes, and Randolph schools will be closed for the day in Morris County.
As of 11 a.m., PSE&G New Jersey reported 7,753 customers without power, and JCP&L had 25,666 outages.
As people start to survey the damage, they're reminded to watch for downed power lines and avoid any floodwaters.
Stick with our First Alert Weather team for the latest forecast and coverage of the cleanup.
