'I Never Saw It Like That': Burlington County Residents Begin Cleanup Efforts After Flooding
FLORENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- In South Jersey, part of Burlington County saw more than a half-foot of rain after Monday's strong storm rolled through. The floodwaters in Florence have mostly receded. Now, massive cleanup efforts are underway.
Workers used a vacuum and other equipment to get rid of standing water in the basement of Kelly Sobon's home in Florence Township Tuesday.
"It was just kinda surreal," Sobon said.
Sobon's neighbor recorded himself walking around in her basement in rainboots after water rushed inside from Monday's storm, damaging some of Sobon's childhood photos.
"All of our picture frames and photo albums and stuff from when my husband and I were kids, they were all in paper boxes so everything's wet," Sobon said. "The guys are down there with their fans and they're hoping things will dry out."
Other major cleanup efforts are also underway in Florence, like at River Road by West Front Street in Florence.
Only one lane of traffic was getting by Tuesday as crews worked to push water off of the road.
"We ended up with about a foot of water back here," Sam Lombardo said.
Lombardo shared photos he took just after the storm. His street looks like a river and his backyard like a lake.
He pointed to a line of mud on his shed Tuesday, showing just how high the water rose before receding.
"I never saw it like that, it was just pouring torrential for like two-and-a-half, three hours," Lombardo said.
Emergency crews in Burlington County responded to a dozen water rescues during the storm. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
"Don't turn your car into a boat. Go around, go in another direction," Dan O'Connell said.
Burlington County dispatchers took hundreds of emergency calls during the storm. Officials are now assessing the damage left behind.
