Towns in North Jersey, already flooded, are bracing for more heavy rain

USA

Several New Jersey communities prepared for more rain and flooding Friday after a winter storm earlier this week caused several rivers to overflow in the northern part of the state.

Up to 1.5 inches of rain was forecast to fall in North Jersey Friday night, adding to the residual flooding still persisting in the area, the National Weather Service said. Some areas along the Passaic and Raritan rivers remained flooded afterward heavy rain on Tuesday. Even in places where flooding had subsided, the ground was still saturated. the weather service said.

On Friday afternoon, Gov. Phil Murphy warned residents of affected areas that the Passaic River was already “well above flood level” and expected to rise another three to six feet by Sunday. In messages posted onlineMr. Murphy urged residents follow the guidelines of local officials and to avoid driving on Friday evenings.

While inspecting flood damage in Passaic County's Little Falls, Mr. Murphy said at a news conference Thursday that more needs to be done to address the chronic flooding that plagues many New Jersey towns.

“This is the third event in the last three weeks, and there will be another on Friday evening,” he said at a news conference.

The governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, which the Murphy administration said would remain in effect until the weekend. No injuries or deaths had been reported as of Thursday afternoon from the storm and its aftermath, but there was significant flooding in several communities and several school districts were closed in response, the government said.

The American Red Cross operated shelters in Little Falls and Paterson, also in Passaic County, for anyone forced from their homes by flooding, said John Bartlett, director of the county Board of Commissioners.

“Residents in our flood-prone areas are resilient, but they are growing frustrated,” Bartlett said in a statement. “After a wet fall came the snow, then last week's torrential rain, and now rain is forecast again tonight and tomorrow and it's like, 'Ugh! Again?'”