Updated: Hurricane Irene in Photos

UPDATED 8:39 p.m.: Large parts of the Garden State Plaza are impassable, as shimmering pools of water have settled in roadways and parking lots in and around the mall. Just before 8 p.m., Bergen County Police closed a ramp from Route 4 east to Route 17 south, along the mall property, when that roadway became flooded with water.

***

UPDATED: 6:38 p.m.: Residents of Dunkerhook Road and Skylark Court are still cut off from their homes Sunday evening, as floodwaters from the Saddle River have engulfed the only bridge to the neighborhood. Dunkerhood Road was barricaded off until the water recedes.

Meanwhile, the Office of Emergency Services has shut down its command center at the Life Safety Complex. The Borough resumes normal operations for now, with the Police Department handling calls and the Fire Department and Rescue Squad dealing with evacuations.

Police opened up the portion of Paramus Road between Midland Avenue and Century Road, though the southbound road was still blocked off at that point. The chunk of Farview Avenue in front of Borough Hall was also still closed.

***

UPDATED 3:52 p.m.: Water is beginning to recede from Paramus Road after causing extensive damage to homes along Saddle River.

"The water damage I think is as bad as we've ever seen in the Borough," Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said.

LaBarbiera said Paramus Road was impassable at many points, though the water was receding as the river drained to the south. Paramus Road at Linwood Avenue was flooded at noon, but was dry by the afternoon, he said.

The Biagio's parking lot is underwater, and as officials predicted Saturday night, access to Dunkerhook Road is completely cut off by flood water.

"If you drove by Dunkerhook right now your head would spin," he said.

LaBarbiera gave no timetable for when Paramus Road would reopen, saying it depended on the water receding.

Flooding wasn't the only issue Paramus was dealing with in the wake of Irene. More than 5,000 people were still without power, according to PSE&G, and the utility would only say power would be restored by Sept. 4.

***

UPDATED 2:35 P.M.: As the storm and the rain subsided Sunday afternoon, Paramus residents emerged from their homes to an increasingly sunny afternoon.

There were few outward signs of damage, with a few downed trees strewn about town. did have much of Paramus Road cordoned off south of Midland Avenue, as the Saddle River swelled to a stage of more than 12 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

The water reached the Greek Orthodox Church on Paramus Road.

***

UPDATED 10:30 A.M.: Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said Route 17 at Ridgewood and Linwood avenues have closed due to flooding.

***

UPDATED 10 A.M.: PSE&G now says more than 5,000 Paramus residents are out of power. Irene has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, though winds are still expected to hit between 33 and 44 miles per hour.

Parts of route 4 and 17 have been shut down due to flooding, Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said, as Paramus experiences a surge in water.

***

Paramus residents coped with widespread power outages Sunday as Hurricane Irene made its way up the Jersey Shore.

More than 2,000 Paramus residents were without power Sunday morning, among more than 213,000 PSE&G customers statewide who lost electricity.

The utility announced in a statement on its website that power restoration could take several days to a week. PSE&G said many of the outages were caused by falling trees and branches.

PSE&G also warned of possible gas outages caused by the heavy wind and rain.

In a 6:24 a.m. update, the National Weather Service warned that torrential rain and wind would continue Sunday morning, with thunderstorms and even tornadoes possible as the hurricane approached. The worst conditions are expected this afternoon, it said.

Expect 5 to 12 inches more rain, the National Weather Service said, before the deluge tapers off in the afternoon. Flooding, especially along the Saddle River, is likely.

Borough officials planned to evacuate communities along the river Saturday night, to residents of Dunkerhook Road, Skylark Court, Mill Run and Grist Trail. Mayor Richard LaBarbiera said many people had left Dunkerhook Road and Skylark Court already, but many residents living in the Mill Run area chose to stay.

LaBarbiera said the volume of water so far was the most he'd seen. The Borough ordered extra manpower to report to work at midnight, but so far the only incidents have been fallen trees, though that could change, with the eye of the hurricane still to come.