N.J. Blizzard Aftermath: Flooding Fears, Christie Backlash, Traffic Crashes

New Jersey continued its cleanup Monday after nearly three feet of snow fell during a historic blizzard that shut down roads, caused more than 90,000 power outages and hundreds of accidents, and led to unprecedented flooding in certain areas.

Many were taking to Twitter and elsewhere to complain about Gov. Chris Christie’s response to the storm, perhaps the worst blizzard to hit the state since the famous January 1996 blizzard.

Police departments said roads were still “treacherous” even though many commuters and drivers returned to the highways Monday. Hundreds of N.J. school districts cancelled school on Monday, and some may do the same on Tuesday.

Flooding also remained a concern as the blizzard turned many streets - particularly in South Jersey - into rivers. The threat of flooding is real for the entire state, however, with many rivers, streams and coastal areas that could still overflow at high tide (see map).

“Like a horrible ex, although ‪#‎Jonas‬ has left us, we’re still dealing with the mess he left behind,” the State Police wrote on Facebook.

Troopers have responded to 301 crashes and 1,635 motorist aids, and State Police said that number could get higher.

Power has been restored to virtually the entire state. Bridges and tunnels to New York City reopened Sunday morning, NJ Transit trains restarted operations on almost every track. The state-of-emergency has also been lifted.

Two people died - a mother and her 1-year-old son - in a storm-related carbon monoxide incident in New Jersey.

ALSO:

• Snow amounts have been posted, with nearly 3 feet falling over many areas of N.J. by early Saturday. Read more on snow amounts here.
• School closings/cancellations: Many school districts cancelled for Monday as the region continues to dig out. Will districts reopen on Tuesday? Read more on school closings here..
• Map, list of N.J. towns still at risk of flooding: The weekend storm has pushed coastal waters and inland areas into a flood zone, and a map allows you to monitor water levels in New Jersey and on inland streams as 3 feet of snow begins to melt. Read more on the flooding map here...
• 10 N.J. towns with the most snow: Some N.J. communities got as much 33 inches - but many others weren’t far behind. Read more about 10 towns with most snow here...
• WATCH: N.J. Blizzard Causes Widespread Flooding: Videos captured the impacts as some roads turned into rivers. Read more on Barnegat flooding, LBI flooding, Cape May County flooding here.
• South Jersey, Ocean City, Cape May County got the worst of it: Find out power outage information by reading here, and flooding information here...
• Roof Collapse Reported At Westfield Trader Joe’s: The roof at the Trader Joe’s store in Westfield has reportedly collapsed during the blizzard. Read more on Westfield Trader Joe’s here..
• How to Prevent and Deal With Frozen Pipes: One big headache that can accompany snow and single-digit temperatures is frozen water pipes in unheated basements and crawl spaces of local homes. Read more frozen pipes here.

Click here to stay up-to-date on storm developments by subscribing to your local Patch emails.

Christie, meanwhile, continues to take heat after arriving in New Jersey on Friday, just hours after saying he didn’t plan to leave the campaign trail in New Hampshire to deal with the blizzard in his home state.

Some criticized him for trying to minimize the damage, saying that the flooding was not as bad as it was during Superstorm Sandy.