Glen Rock Police Officer Rescued During Floods: Scenes From Ida

GLEN ROCK, NJ — When a police officer's cruiser became disabled during a rescue attempt last week, two citizens stepped in to help, and that's just one scene from the recovery efforts ongoing in the wake of Tropical Storm Ida.

The storm brought heavy rains, causing immense damage and flooding across North Jersey, but also at home in Glen Rock. In the days after, first responders were still dealing with the aftermath.

Glen Rock's emergency services were placed in "full mobilization" overnight Wednesday and into Thursday.

Regular and "special" police officers, along with firefighters, aided by DPW workers, responded to a total of 87 calls for service as a direct result of the storm, police officials said.

The flooding was heightened as water levels rose at the Diamond Brook and Saddle River. The brook's overflow caused "significant flooding" on the Boulevard and Lowell Road areas, and the area of Prospect Street, and the County Park, saw the same as the river overflowed, officials said.

Officers were only able to respond to calls in the department’s SUV’s and a DPW truck, during the height of the storm, as the department’s police vehicle sedans could not hold up to the weather conditions, officials said.

In one case, an officer was assisted back to police headquarters by a resident in their personal pickup truck when the officer’s vehicle stopped working due to rising waters while the officer was attempting to rescue a stranded family in their vehicle. The family was transported home by another "good Samaritan" with an SUV, who stopped to help, police said.

Flooding affected not only the roadways, but residential homes as well.

"Numerous homes experienced flooded basements, with the most severe having its foundation compromised by the water rendering the home unsafe and causing the family to relocate. Numerous motorists whose vehicles were driven onto flooded roads had to be rescued," police said.

Officers and tow truck operators spent much of Thursday working to get stranded cars off the roads, which were left overnight after being disabled due to the rising water levels on roadways.

There were a series of limited power outages, mostly due to homeowners whose electricity had to be turned off due to flooding basements, officials said.

Gas service along the lower portion of Cornwall Road and Beekman Place was shut down while PSE&G dealt with excessive amounts of water which had made its way into the gas lines.

Following extensive damage across the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a major disaster declaration for six New Jersey counties, including Bergen, Gov. Phil Murphy announced.

This allows residents to register online for direct assistance for Ida-related recovery, which may include home repairs, temporary housing, low-cost loans, and other programs to help recover from the effects of the tropical storm.

Murphy also announced that the state has launched a data collection portal to gather data from impacted individuals outside the six counties where FEMA has declared the major disaster declaration, as FEMA and state officials continue to evaluate on the ground.

"Many residents of our state are facing a long road ahead as they recover from Ida," said Murphy.

The governor reports that 27 people have died as a result of the storm, including one in Bergen County.

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