Chaos Ensued Around West Essex After Days of Stormy Weather Finally Took its Toll on Saturday

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by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 9:30pm

Jennifer Burns "Roseland Avenue - Caldwell"

WEST ESSEX, NJ - Following days of Rain soaking the ground and filling the drainage systems, West Essex is currently experiencing numerous road closures and emergencies while residents are suffering through property and house floods.

All West Essex First Responders assisted with the many emergencies, and Essex County Sheriff's Office and DPW were called in to work as well. 

This was not an average Rain storm; at one point Caldwell Fire Department responded to an explosion coming from Manholes, and elsewhere First Responders were rescuing people from the roofs of their vehicles because their cars had flooded. 

Many roads were closed during the flooding; most were finally open by 11pm Saturday night. 

The surrounding towns were also hit hard, and in particular Little Falls where today Mayor James B. Delford declared a State of Emergency. 

The official Rain Fall amounts for Saturday's storm were:

• Caldwell = 4.92"
  
• North Caldwell, West Caldwell = 4.60"
  
• Cedar Grove = 3.87"
  
• Essex Fells = 3.64
  
  • I don't have any information for:
    ​Fairfield, Roseland, and Verona

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What follows, in no particular order, are reports from residents on their experiences. Unfortunately, the Storms are expected to continue throughout the weekend ahead. 

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caldwell

Adam Friedman:

Bloomfield Avenue and Mountain Avenue were
under water and closed
in the area of Caldwell College.
​I haven't seen flooding this bad here
​since Hurricane Floyd.

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Daves Delicious Deli, in Caldwell, shared their photos from Bloomfield Avenue:

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Gary Hunter from Caldwell Flowerland shared a video from Bloomfield Avenue:

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Eileen Cetrulo Masone 

EILEEN QUOTE

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​Robert D. Kazimir 
"The movie theater after the storm"

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Michelle Prazan Mura
Bloomfield Avenue by Roseland Avenue, Caldwell

Patty Gilman-Rosenberg:
"We were driving down Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. We were just stuck over there. Got out right in time. It took us about an hour to get from the Caldwell Movie theater area to Grove Avenue in Cedar Grove."

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Kevin Dean:

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At about 7:40pm, the Caldwell Fire Department responded to Park and Bloomfield Avenue for "Manhole Fires." Essex Fells Fire Department provided House coverage. 

Jennifer Sample Beier‎

Bloomfield Avenue and Park Avenue, Caldwell

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Bless our Fire Department, Police Department and out of town guys.
​They didn’t even flinch when this happened.

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Neil Garland:

Bill Gleason

Just got back from there. Smoke is pouring out of the manholes, and every minute or so one explodes and shoots flames into the air. The smell of burning insulation is everywhere.

Crazy, Man hole Cover blew and transformer Fire. Thank you to our Caldwell/West Caldwell Police and Volunteer Fire Dept. For keeping everyone safe.

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Stephanie Marie 
Elm Road, Caldwell 

Our basement had four feet of water.

​Everything is gone.

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Steve Sandor
Forest Avenue, Caldwell

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Joe Servidio Sr. 
This is a video shot by John Alworth of the Grover Cleveland Park Brook and Pond at at about 5:30pm. It was scary and there were parents letting children walk in the flood waters near the brook. The stupidity of some people is amazing.

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Scott Condit‎
Hatfield Street at Smull Avenue, Caldwell

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Tracy Voca

Hatfield Street, Caldwell 

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Jennifer Burns
"Roseland Avenue, and parking lot next to Community Center - Caldwell"

I have never before seen flooding this bad
on Roseland Avenue or in the parking deck.
Drivers continued to drive thru the rising water,
and two cars were eventually stuck.
The Caldwell Police Department came
​to rescue the drivers out of the cars.
Thankfully, no one was injured.

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"Westville Avenue, Caldwell"

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Sunday, Aug. 12 Update from Caldwell Mayor Ann Dassing: 
Yesterday afternoon after receiving 4.9” of rain, the Borough of Caldwell sustained major damage to the Municipal Building, Public Library, and Community Center Parking Deck. No reported injuries to date. For cleanup for our residents, we will have bulk pickup on Wednesday, August 15th. 

The Parking Deck lower level is closed until further notice. Permit holders can park in the Parsons Lot off of Westville Avenue and on Roseland Avenue overnight.

The Library will be closed the week of August 13th.
The Community Center will be open. 

Please adhere to new parking pattern as the Main entrance to the upper level of the parking deck is closed and under review by our Borough Engineer to evaluate the safety of the roadway. "

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Sunday, Aug. 12 Update from Caldwell Public Library Director, Claudine Pascale: 
"The Caldwell Public Library had major flooding last night. The entire downstairs area, including the Children's Room and staff areas, had at least 5 inches of water. The Children's Garden has completely washed away. The door to the Children's Room is broken. Because of this we will be closed tomorrow and I anticipate we will be closed for most of the week."

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fairfield

Denise Iradi
Plymouth Street, Fairfield

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NORTH CALDWELL

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Mary Ann Brydon Wojcik
Canterbury Drive, North Caldwell

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Al Inga - on his ride home to Grandview Avenue

It took me one and a half hours to get home.
I was detoured five times at River Road,Eisenhower,
Mount Pleasant Avenue, Livingston Avenue,
Fells Road; they were all flooded.
Finally I went to Prospect Avenue in West Orange,
then Route 23 to Grandview.
I've never seen anything like this
in twenty-four years here.
The real problem is that most people
don't have flood insurance
​because this isn't a flood zone.
​They have huge damages.

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Joey Pal 
Mountain Avenue, North Caldwell

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Loretta Calabrese Trudeau‎
 "Fallen tree and rocks on West Lindsley, North Caldwell"

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​Christel DeLeo 
Stephanie Drive,  North Caldwell

This was on the top of Stephanie Drive in North Caldwell. These new developers are using explosives to clear their land.

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.

The rains moved a sandbox filled with sand 75 to 100 pounds of sand down the hill. I live at the top of the hill and got water in the basement. 

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ROseland

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Bill Otterbein: "Some serious rain"
Ford Lane, Holmehill - Roseland

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​Amanda Hughes
"Off of Laurel Avenue in Roseland"

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VERONA

Patricia Trivett Osowski:

In all the years that I have lived in Verona,
​I have never seen it this bad.

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Anne Marie Comerford Ruggiero:
​
"Bloomfield Avenue at Forest Avenue in Verona"

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Frank Campanaro, Owner Aura Salon
​43 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona

No damage in the Salon!
Hilltop is to blame
- the dirt and water is coming from them. 
That's what happens when you put too much pavement and buildings on a mountain!
Hilltop:
when are you going to fix it?

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Jennifer Antolino
"Claremont Avenue in Verona by Ray's Pizza..... my grandpa has been here since 1955 and has never seen it flooded"

Nancy Hudzinski:
"Morningside Road , Verona"

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​Jeff Shilling
"Personette and Grove Avenues in Verona"

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West Caldwell

West Caldwell Resident:

 The water came into our garage
so fast and strong
it knocked over the refrigerator freezer we have out there.

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1. Tara Mason 

"Central Avenue at Crossbrook Lane - West Caldwell"

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Carly Luciano 
"Central Avenue at Elmwood Road by AJ's - West Caldwell

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Marissa Pepe
Distler Avenue, West Caldwell

It was really bad,
I've never seen it like this.
The one car I saw was disabled.

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Steph Hauser:
Forest Avenue, West Caldwell

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Schelli Wolfe Wilson:
"Glenwood Road at Passaic Avenue, ​West Caldwell"

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Michelle Prazan Mura‎ 
"Hillside Avenue, West Caldwell"

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Patrick Christ
Orton Road, West Caldwell 

I live a few hundred feet up from the Orton Bridge. I was in my backyard and could hear a roar. I walked back through the woods and the brook which is normally a few feet wide was 200 feet wide. It combined with the brook from Grover Cleveland Park several hundred feet early.

I wondered what the bridge would be like downstream. I walked and saw it was literally going over the bridge. It got so clogged up with large tree logs and limbs that it diverted down the street a bit into houses. Two-hundred feet past where there are houses was a raging river and a few houses there were getting hit hard. 

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Saily Avelenda
"Orton Road Bridge area, West Caldwell"

Schelli Wolfe Wilson:
Orton Road Bridge, West Caldwell

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​Meredith Sorkin-Slivovsky 
Orton Road near Westville Avenue, West Caldwell

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‎Sam Colacurcio‎
Orton Road Bridge, West Caldwell
"In the distance you can see a fire hydrant. The man said it was covered almost to the top."

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Katie Kennedy
Orton Bridge, West Caldwell

"If you look closely, you can see the fire hydrant almost under water. It was pretty bad on Orton!"

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John P. Loconsolo My backyard on Walden just down the creek from the orton bridge

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​Sarah Gyetvay Hyatt 
Ravine Avenue, West Caldwell

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Sweetwood Court, West Caldwell:

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​Heather Ridge O'Brien 
Sylvan Way and Jameson Place - West Caldwell"

The water started coming
in the front door
but we got it under control quickly.
Thank God for great neighbors who quickly helped dam our front door
so we wouldn’t flood inside.
I wish I could say
the same for the outside:
we have a big mess and lots of damage
especially erosion in the Brook.

‎Maribeth Kirk Persad‎ 
Corner of Sylvan Way and Jameson Place- West Caldwell

she has a huge quotee

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Emma Kiernan‎
 "Washington Avenue by Central Avenue, West Caldwell - the road buckled up"

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During normal Rain storms, you get some deep puddles, but that isn't the same as a Flash Flood. Bloomfield Avenue became a river on Saturday because Caldwell got the biggest amount of rainfall. That's why. 

Flash Flooding is an incredible thing. The water comes down so hard and so fast that it has nowhere to go, so it sits there. Until the storms stops and then the sewer can do its job, and the water eventually recedes.  

New developments could have something to do with the muddy water. Or it could also be just the wet dirt underneath the rained-on grass. Certain sections might have been muddier than others; but that still didn't cause the Flooding. 

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LITTLE FALLS

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Mayor James B. Delford declared a State of Emergency: 

I hope everyone is doing as well can be expected. This storm was worse than Hurricane Sandy.
The Police Department, DPW and the Fire Department are doing all they can do to assist with the situation. 
Commencing immediately, the Jackson Park area of town will be closed with the only access point being Jackson Avebye, Access will be restricted to residents and authorized personnel only. Due to structural concerns, the Fire Department cannot be used to pump out basements and flooded homes at this time.

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Ashley San G:
"Fairfield Road by the old Grandview Deli, Little Falls
​and Route 23 by Munchies, Little Falls"

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Over the past week, Little Falls' flooding has been well-documented online. You can click through to see the flooding on Route 46 East and the destruction of car inventory as they are swept away from the Jeep Dodge Ram Dealership here: 

• From Priscilla Nunez
• From Miguel Galo - 1
• From Miguel Galo - 2
• From Miguel Galo - 3

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WEST ORANGE

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​Bradley Gimbel 
"Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange closed going from Bloomfield Avenue towards Eagle Rock Avenue due to the road buckling! "

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