Vigil For Flood Victims In Bridgewater, Raritan To Be Held Sunday

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A joint prayer vigil for residents lost, homes destroyed, and lives disrupted will be held Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

The joint vigil is being hosted by Bridgewater Mayor Matthew Moench and Raritan Mayor Zach Bray.

The township is also accepting donations of cleaning supplies at the Bridgewater Municipal Building Courtyard or the Raritan Police Station from noon Saturday through 7:30 p.m. Sunday, at which point the supplies will be distributed to families in need in Bridgewater and Raritan, as well as neighboring communities of Manville and Bound Brook.

Cleaning supplies include: bleach, towels, mops, sponges, pails, and gift cards for groceries. There will be a marked area in the courtyard for residents to drop them off.

"In addition to the needs of our own communities, those of our neighbors, especially Bound Brook and Manville, need our help to recover from these devastating floods, which continue to impact their residents. By collecting necessary supplies we can aide in their recovery by providing those communities with what they need the most. We will also make sure that residents in need in our own communities receive any supplies necessary. It is our obligation to help our neighbors," said Mayor Matthew Moench.

As of Saturday, there were three reported deaths in Bridgewater and two in nearby Hillsborough. Read More: 4 Killed In Hillsborough, Bridgewater During Ida Flooding

The most recent was Malathi Kanche of Raritan, who went missing in Bridgewater floodwaters off Route 22. Her body was found on Friday night. Read More: Missing Woman From Bridgewater Flood Found Dead

A GoFundMe fundraising site has been set up for Bridgewater resident Suzie Hanna, who was one of the people killed in the flood. Hanna had just celebrated her 30th birthday last weekend.###a>

"The Hanna family has lived, worked, and gone to school in our community for many years. Their loss is felt by so many of us. I am a friend of the family looking to help ease the burden of funeral expenses during this very difficult time," said Caroline Fryzel.

To donate to help the Hanna family with funeral expenses click here.

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