BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer
SPOTSWOOD – Flooding again hit the borough this weekend, causing power outages and some roads to be closed.
A downpour on Sunday left the small borough reeling as the rain came down faster and harder than the infrastructure could handle. However, Mayor Barry Zagnit said that about a half-hour after the rain stopped, the sewer system was able to catch up and abate the flooding.
No serious damage occurred, and there were no evacuations or injuries, according to Business Administrator Ronald Fasanello.
The system’s ability to catch up quickly “shows the systems do work,” Zagnit said. “If we have a steady rain over a prolonged period, the sewers can carry the rain away. The only time we have a problem is with a quick rainfall.”
He said that among the problems caused by Sunday’s storm were some wet basements, flooded roads, and fallen trees.
“All in all, it could have been worse,” he said.
He said no evacuations were needed and no homes were left uninhabitable.
He said the storm also caused some power outages and road closings, including Main Street where a tree that fell caused the road to be shut down for a while.
Among the roads that saw flooding, Fasanello said, were Willard Clark Circle, Old Stage Road and Crescent Avenue. Parts of the east side were flooded, and some cars in the ShopRite parking lot were stranded.
He said the storm caused some damage to homes.
“It was a surprise we got that much rain,” he said. “We didn’t know it would rain as heavy as it did in that short a time. Due to the heavy rain, it overran all of our drainage systems for a while until they were able to catch up.”
Fasanello said the borough is looking for ways to alleviate future flooding, but he added that hard and fast-hitting storms would remain a problem.
The borough is also trying to alleviate drainage problems by clearing catch basins and waterways to take the water away. In addition, when road improvements are made, the borough takes a look at any drainage improvements that could be implemented.
“This has been ongoing,” he said.