NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Declares State Of Emergency In South Jersey

Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency, effective immediately, in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties due to severe weather conditions, including heavy rains and extreme flooding.

“Our top priority is the safety our residents,” said Murphy. “We have activated the State Emergency Operations Center as of 6:00 a.m. this morning and are deploying resources and personnel to help with recovery efforts.”

A Flood Warning remained in effect for northern Burlington County until 4:45 a.m. Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A Flood Warning that had been in effect for Camden and Gloucester counties expired.

As of 6:45 p.m., all branches of the Rancocas Creek were above flood stage, and roads in the area remained closed. Some locations expected to experience flooding included Evesham, Mount Laurel, Willingboro, Medford, Lumberton, Burlington, Mount Holly, Riverside, Bordentown, Presidential Lakes Estates, Pemberton, Wrightstown, Ramblewood, Marlton, Leisuretowne, Jacksonville, Georgetown, Presidential Lakes, Browns Mills and Jobstown.

The State of Emergency declaration came after three officials in South Jersey made a request for the declaration. The requests came after flooding wreaked havoc across South Jersey Wednesday night.

“I thank Governor Murphy for working with me to ensure relief is provided for the thousands of South Jerseyans dealing with severe rain and flooding,” Congressman Donald Norcross (D-1) said. “I have been in constant contact with all three county administrators and spoke with the Delaware River Port Authority about PATCO service, which partially resumed at noon today. Additionally, with more rain on the way, I’ve been coordinating efforts with Reps. Andy Kim and Jeff Van Drew and all of our area mayors to ensure we’re best serving South Jersey’s families, homeowners, commuters and first responders.”

“Ensuring that we have resources for our OEM, Public Safety and first responders is critical,” Freeholder Jonathan Young, liaison to the Department of Public Safety, said. “Based on the destruction that has already been caused by the previous flooding a declaration is warranted and needed as soon as possible.”

Burlington County Freeholder Director Tom Pullion made the request after flooding was reported in Pemberton Township, Pemberton Boro, Southampton Township, Lumberton Township, Medford, Mt. Laurel, Burlington City, and Mt. Holly. Burlington County OEM said it will continue to monitor areas prone to flooding.

About 60 homes in Southampton were evacuated due to the Rancocas Creek flooding, according to the Burlington County Office of Emergency Management (Burlington County OEM). Southampton and Lumberton have each opened a reception center for displaced residents. Call 211 for details on the nearest reception center.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) found that the dams in Burlington County are operating as designed following a preliminary inspection on Thursday. No failures have been detected at this point.

In Camden County, all county offices closed at 2 p.m. due to flooding. The freeholder meeting that was scheduled for Thursday night was postponed until next week.

The summer concert set for Connolly Park in Voorhees set for Thursday night was cancelled, township police announced. A new date has not yet been set.

PATCO service was restored after noon after being suspended due to storm damage earlier in the day. As of 6:30 p.m., PATCO returned to its normal schedule. That schedule is available on PATCO's website. The Ashland Station was the last to reopen, and it did so at 5 p.m.

In Camden County, there were more than 1,000 calls for service from midnight until the end of the storm around 7 a.m. For context, there were 220 calls during the same time on June 18. More than 240 fire calls came in and 70 of those calls were for occupied vehicles stuck in water.

Camden County opened its Emergency Operations Center at 3:30 a.m. and continued to operate out of it through the end of the second storm Thursday.

In addition to Rancocas Creek, there was flooding out of Big Timber Creek, Pennsauken Creek, Cooper River and Crosswicks Creek during the day Thursday, according to an alert from the Gloucester Township Police Department.

Rainfall totals since late Wednesday generally ranged from 2 to 5 inches. (See totals below).

Here are some scenes from the destruction in South Jersey that happened overnight.

Flooding hit Westville and National Park in Gloucester County hard. Three dogs had to be rescued, and at least 50 cars were totaled.

Flooding hit hard everywhere.

Below are rain totals across South Jersey, according to the National Weather Service:

Burlington County

1 W Medford Lakes 5.76

2 SW Medford 5.44
1 WSW Tabernacle 5.25
Tabernacle 5.06
2 SE Vincentown 4.90
2 E Fort Dix 4.02
Westampton Twp 3.90
2 SW Medford 3.58
1 SW Moorestown Twp 3.50
Wrightstown 3.44
2 E Burlington 3.18
1 W Delran 3.05
2 SSW New Egypt 3.02
Mount Laurel 3.00
1 SE Moorestown 2.76
NWS Mount Holly 2.73
1 SW Burlington 2.64
1 SW Hainesport 2.55
1 NNE Burlington Twp 2.51
2 WSW Medford 2.41
1 E Lumberton 2.40
1 NNE Cooperstown 2.24
1 WSW Plumsted Twp 2.11

Camden County
Mt. Ephraim 4.41
1 N Pennsauken 2.90
Somerdale 2.43
Stratford 2.00

Gloucester County
Thorofare 4.51

Gibbstown 4.30

Ocean County
1 NE Lakehurst 2.90

Salem County
Pennsville 2.05

It is never safe to drive through flooded waters. Anyone who comes upon flooded waters should turn around. Many deaths in flooded waters are vehicle related.

It is never safe to swim in flooded areas. Water is fast moving and conceals debris, contamination, and other hazards that can be life threatening. As little as six inches of water can swept a person away. As little as twelve inches can float a small vehicle.

In the event that the weather causes isolated power outages, residents should immediately call their utility company, so they can identify the location and coordinate crews to restore power.

Below are numbers and contact info for the two power providers in Camden County:

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSEG website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
• Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

As always, use 911 for emergencies only. If you see a problem on a Camden County road, call the 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to the Department of Public Works.