Crime & Safety
Storm Rips Essex County: Floods, Bridges, Trapped Cars (VIDEOS)
A weekend storm left Essex County reeling. See videos and photos of the damage here.
A weekend storm and heavy rainfall left many parts of Essex County reeling on Saturday and Sunday. As residents and township workers struggle to play catchup to the damage, here are some of the incidents that were reported in the county.
NUTLEY
In Nutley, the rising water submerged bridges near Kingsland Manor, Nutley Citizens Community stated. Flooding was also reportedly seen on Franklin Avenue.
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“Even the river that runs in the tunnel under Franklin Ave flooded worse than I have ever seen,” one resident wrote. “Napoli is frigin’ flooded.”
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The Nutley Fire Department wrote Saturday: “Please be aware that man hole covers may have lifted if you are out walking or observing the parks. Stay out of any water. This [video] is taken from Vreeland Ave. There’s still a lot of water coming through the parks.”
CEDAR GROVE
An “extreme amount of rain that fell in a short amount of time” wreaked havoc in Cedar Grove, authorities said Saturday.
According to the Cedar Grove Police Department:
“The Township is in the process of assessing the damage from the flash flooding event. The extreme amount of rain that fell in a short amount of time caused severe flooding to roadways. As a result many roads were impassable. Those roads are now open and Cedar Grove Department of Public Works employees are out clearing storm drains and removing debris from roadways. Thankfully there were no injuries or deaths associated with this event. Police and Fire Department personnel have rescued numerous individuals trapped in vehicles on flooded roadways. They have also responded to many calls for assistance from residents with flooded basements to turn off the gas and electricity service. Residents are asked to only contact the police department for emergencies. All property damage incidents will be addressed after we complete all emergency operations.”
Although local roads are open, the cleanup will “continue into next week,” police said Saturday.
The Township is cleaning up from the flash flood. Roads are open. The cleanup will continue into next week. https://t.co/UE7rFiMI5k
— Cedar Grove Police (@CedarGrovePD) August 12, 2018
LIVINGSTON
Heavy rain did a number on the streets of Livingston, local authorities reported on Saturday.
According to the Livingston Police Department:
“Due to the heavy rain many streets are flooded. Including streets that do not normally flood. If you need to drive please use caution.”
NEWARK
In Newark, flooding was seen in the North Ward of the city near the Rt. 21 bridge on Riverside and Chester avenues by Herbert Street. Several cars were flooded out and damaged, RLS Media reported.
MONTCLAIR
In Montclair, several locations including Bloomfield Avenue saw heavy flooding.
On Sunday, the Montclair Film Festival wrote: "Like so many of our friends & neighbors, we suffered damage to our Cinema & Education Center on Bloomfield Ave from severe flooding during yesterday’s storms. We are assessing the damage & will update you soon. All best thoughts to those in our community cleaning up today."
The rainy weather also cancelled the much-awaited Montclair Jazz Festival, organizers reported.
BLOOMFIELD
In Bloomfield, the downpour flooded several local roads, authorities reported.
According to the Bloomfield Division of Public Safety:
“Several roadways in the Township are flooded due to the heavy rainfall. Please use caution if you are out. If possible, please seek shelter until the rain subsides! Do not venture out unless absolutely necessary!”
CALDWELLS
West Essex Now documented several instances of flooding and storm damage in the Caldwells, including a flooded basement on Elm Road in Caldwell, damage to the bridge at Orton Road in West Caldwell, and wet floors at a movie theater in Caldwell.
In addition, a “manhole explosion” took place in Caldwell after the storm cleared, the publication stated.
A North Caldwell resident told West Essex Now that the weekend flooding was some of the worst they’d ever seen in the area.
"This was on the top of Stephanie Drive in North Caldwell. We’ve never had flooding until today. We have a new house being built behind us and also to the left outside of my townhouse. It moved a sandbox filled with sand 75-100lbs down the hill. I live at the top of the hill and got water in the basement. These new developers are using explosives to clear land."
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