Wallington, NJ Residents Hit Twice By Passaic River Flooding
WALLINGTON, NJ (CBSNewYork) -- The swollen Passaic River has delivered a walloping one-two punch to the town of Wallington, N.J. in the wake of Hurricane Irene.
The flooded Passaic River swamped the town Sunday but had started to recede earlier this week.
1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg reports: Damage, Devastation and Despair
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Residents went back to their homes to begin cleaning up when the river overflowed its banks again on Tuesday, prompting a new round of evacuations that sent people scrambling.
Christa Reinhart said she had only seconds to react as water from river rushed down her Wallington block surrounding her home. She grabbed her mother and pets and got out.
"It was frantic," Reinhart told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg. "It was not expected like everybody was saying — it wasn't expected to be that much water."
WCBS 880'S Marla Diamond reports: Residents Hit Twice By Passaic River Flooding
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"A sense of fear and the feeling of being trapped," is how Wallington resident Monica Krol described her feelings to CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
Meanwhile, garbage and other household items that been put out on the curb before the second round of flooding are now floating down the street.
"A lot of memories went out the door," said a volunteer firefighter. "It's on the curb."
Irene continues to take its toll on Wallington residents including first responders.
"The worst is when we're here and our families are being flooded," a volunteer firefighter said.
Streams around Wallington already saturated by record rainfall before Irene hit are also making flooding worse.
No word on how long it will take for the waters to recede.
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