NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Torrential downpours hammered South Jersey Sunday into Monday, leaving roads flooded and drivers stranded.
At the height of the storm, just after 11 a.m. on Monday, drivers were detoured as police closed low-lying sections of Route 38 and Route 130 through Cherry Hill, Pennsauken and Collingswood. As of 3 p.m., floodwaters have receded from South Jersey, but issues lingered for drivers who were caught in the deep water.
Alex Pikovsky, of the laundry-servicing company Hercules, was on Route 38 in Pennsauken just west of Mansion Boulevard when the floodwaters grew too deep.
“I was right in the middle of 38, and yeah, the truck in front of me made it, so I figured I could make it with him. And I got stuck, and I guess my tailpipe got flooded and I got stuck right in the middle of the flood.”
The water was more than two feet deep at that point. Pikovsky called a fleet service company to get his van going again, but said the company was so busy that they had to call him back. Two hours after the rainfall, he was still waiting for help. He said the water was up to his shorts.
“It was a lot of flood. And now everything is gone! I mean, Mother Nature is at its best!”
Dan Keashen, Camden County's spokesperson, said around 20 vehicles have been stranded in Camden.
“Cars were stranded on Market Street in Camden; up in the Stockton section of the city we had significant stranding of vehicles. People also had their cars stranded in Cherry Hill and places like Haddonfield as well,” Keashen said.
While many major roads, including the Ben Franklin Bridge, have reopened, Keashen said some roads in Camden are still affected, including Delaware Avenue and any road from Second Street to the river.
“Right now in the downtown, we're asking people to steer clear of it, but outside of that, we are expecting most of the roadways to reopen relatively soon."
Keashen said officials are preparing for a second round of rain later Monday.
“If individuals have to go out during the second round that comes through, we want them to plan carefully and if they see water in the roadway, not to take any chances."
Between 2 and 5 inches of rain have fallen in South Jersey. A flood warning is in effect through 6:15 p.m. Officials advise that if you approach a flooded area, turn around, as most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
