Scores of Roads Close as Livingston Gets a Soaking

It rained yesterday, it’s raining today, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and the day after that. It’s not just dreary: Weather watchers are warning of flash floods and heavy downpours.

In Livingston, the deluge came late this afternoon, closing scores of roads and flooding homes.

“It was chaos from 3:46 to 5:02 p.m.,” said Det. Sgt. Anthony Dippold. “At 4:20 we were under water.”

Nearly 20 streets were closed before the waters subsided. East Hobart Gap Road remained close where the brook overflowed and a car was left stranded, Dippold said.

Police and fire were on the scene to help several residents whose homes flooded. At one home under construction on Wynnewood Road, the heavy rains washed part of the street away, Dippold said. The Oval was partially closed making it difficult for parents picking up athletes whose afternoon games and practices were canceled.

"It's like a big pool out there," a teenager said. "A big muddy pool that no one can swim in."

Firefighters responded to a home on Cornell drive, where a backyard cabana was filled with smoke after water flooded an electrical outlet, Dippold said. The fire department also responded to a home on Dorrien Road, where water was pouring into the house through a sliding glass door. And on Splitrock Road, they helped a residence where water was coming into the basement.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning and flood watch for Livingston. It is forecasting rain through Saturday.

“A chance remains over the next few days for some locally heavy downpours to initiate some flash flooding of roadways and streams,” said Dr. David A. Robinson, the state’s climatologist.

Some areas of New Jersey have seen more than 3 inches of rain since Sunday, including northern Somerset, Morris, northern Passaic and parts of Bergen, said Robinson, the chairman of the Department of Geography at Rutgers University.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management warns that flooding could continue in some areas through Friday.

“Be alert and be prepared for adverse conditions,” advises State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes, Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. “Heavy rain can cause flash flooding.”

That’s what happened late this afternoon in town.

Police used orange cones to block off roads, most that were reopened by 5 p.m.

South Livingston Avenue at Midway Drive was flooded and a police officer was able to help the waters subside by clearing out a storm drain, Dippold said. Flooding was severe on East Hobart Gap Drive, Meadowbrook Road and Shadowlawn Drive, where brooks overflowed into the streets.

Other roads under water included, Byrant Drive at Fullerton Place, Congressional Parkway, Hastings Lane, West Mount Pleasant Avenue at Mitchell Avenue, Elmwood Drive, Falcon Road at Arlington Drive, and Ross Road at Tulane Drive.

Earlier, power was out for 23,000 PSE&G customers in Essex County after an equipment failure at the VA Hospital in East Orange caused an outage. PSE&G reported scattered power outages in Livingston. Power was restored at 2:35 p.m., the company said.

To stay informed of potential flood threats, or to keep track of current weather forecasts and alerts, stay tuned to media outlets and use these online resources and social media tools:

• The official website of the National Weather Servic  
• New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Website   
• NJ Alert text messaging system     
• NJOEM on Facebook 
• NJOEM Twitter

This story was updated at 6:20 p.m.