NEW MILFORD, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Overnight storms that dumped more than three inches of rain in parts of New Jersey caused rivers to overflow and prompted a series of evacuations and rescues Friday morning.
Six homes in New Milford were evacuated as the Hackensack River crested and overflowed into the streets due to the heavy rains.
First responders suited up and waded into waist-deep water as firefighters used small inflatable boats to go door-to-door to rescue between 12 and 14 residents from the floodwaters.
"We have a high water rescue vehicle. We're using that. It's safe to use that right now cause the water's not moving too fast," said New Milford Police Chief Brian Clancy. "We had this in 2011, 2007. It happens every couple of years unfortunately."
Resident Gwendolyn Tinker, who just completed repairs after her home sustained damage from the remnants of Ida in September, left home with several bags filled with personal belongings.
"My basement is flooded, I just refinished everything from the last flood," Tinker said. "Just got it all done probably about three weeks ago. It's terrible. Now we've got to go through the whole thing all over again."
Another resident also just started renovating her home's basement, which was flooded in Ida.
"My floors, my sheetrock, all my baseboards were just done last week," she said. "So here we are again. It's just like a nightmare."
Following two major flood events in just a matter of months, resident Nicholas Pepito worries about future storms and hopes the Army Corps of Engineers can figure out a fix.
"I hope that the township and the state develops a way to mitigate the water away from the homes and surrounding families," he said. "It's devastating to see that they have to start the process all over again and are considering moving out."
New Milford Police Captain Nicholas DiGenio said a couple of cars also got stuck in floodwaters, triggering more rescues.
On Thursday night, hundreds of diners became trapped by rising floodwaters and had to be rescued from a restaurant in Hawthorne after heavy rains caused the Passaic River to overflow.
Workers also had to be saved from a building on Fifth Avenue in Patterson because of flooding.
Flood watches and warnings remain in effect in several counties throughout the state Friday. High tide is around 2 p.m.
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