Editor’s note: As of 11 a.m. Sept. 2, the following roads were reopened: Route 130 in both directions in South Brunswick; all roads in Milltown, though storm debris may remain on roads until crews catch up. As of 1 p.m. Sept. 2, all roads in Monroe have been reopened.
The Milltown Boro Pool will open at 3 p.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 2, and will close at 8 p.m., its normal time.
As of 1:30 p.m. Sept. 2, Deans Rhode Hall Road in South Brunswick is closed between Route 535 and Fresh Ponds Road due to wires and tress across the roadway.
As of 4:30 p.m. Sept. 2, Main Street, River Road and Old Matawan Road in East Brunswick were closed due to flooding and traffic congestion.
Ten days after Tropical Storm Henri walloped the area with rain, Tropical Storm Ida caused more damage throughout the area.
East Brunswick: Several roadways in the township were flooded overnight.
Helmetta: Main Street is closed by the Streamside Apartments, but should be open by 7 p.m. Sept. 2. Lake Avenue is reopened; it was closed between High Street and Heatherwood Drive due to a downed tree.
Jamesburg: All roads are now open. Forsgate Drive had been closed by Gatzmer Avenue and Perrineville Road.
Milltown: Washington Avenue is closed between Moetz Drive and Main Street due to localized flooding. All borough offices and facilities are closed for storm clean up, including the library, senior center and pool.
Monroe: Rue Road, Texas Road at the bridge into Old Bridge, Englishtown Road at Union Hill Road, Union Hill Road at the Manalapan border, and Route 33 in both directions between Perrineville Road and Applegarth Road are all closed.
New Brunswick: Route 18 is closed.
A flood warning continues for the Raritan River At Bound Brook through at least 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 4.
At 3:15 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, the stage was 35.8 feet; flood stage is 28.0 feet. The river is expected to rise to a crest of 42.0 feet this afternoon; it will then fall below flood stage on Sept. 3.
At 28.0 feet, backyard and low areas are protected by levees and the flood wall. Without the levees or if there is a breach in the levees, minor flooding will occur.
At 30.0 feet, Main Street is protected by flap valves/sluice gates. This level triggers the gate closures to protect Main Street.
At 33.0 feet, a large portion of Bound Brook is protected by the flood reduction project. Pump station operations become critical, at this stage, for the continued protection of the borough.
This crest compares to a previous crest of 41.9 feet on Aug. 28, 2011.
North Brunswick: The North Brunswick Township Police Department building was evacuated due to flooding. Emergency services are still on the road. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or call 732-297-1134.
The following roads reported closures: Georges Road and Milltown Road, Jersey Avenue from Huron Road to Corporate Road, Georges Road and Second Avenue, Georges Road and Pardun Road, Fillmore Drive and Wood Avenue, Livingston Avenue, Axel Avenue at Poplar Avenue, Carlisle and Ute roads, Platte Avenue and Seneca Road, Sherman and Williamson roads, Hoover Drive and Lovell Place, Roosevelt Avenue, and Farrington Boulevard and Hoover Drive.
The municipal building is closed today, Sept. 2, so departments can assess the damage and focus on clean up efforts. Municipal court is still on for today as a remote session.
The North Brunswick Food Bank will be closed until further notice due to storm-related damages.
Princeton: Many roads in Princeton are closed due to severe flooding, and all of the main roads in and out of Princeton are flooded and closed.
The following roads were closed: Quaker Road, Rosedale Road, Mercer Road, Stockton Street (Route 206), South Harrison Street, Washington Road and Alexander Road.
South Brunswick: The heavy rain started around 5 p.m., and by 11:30 p.m. more than 8 inches of rain had fallen in the township.
In the 12 hours after the heavy rain began to fall, there were 125 calls for police, fire and EMS service. Two families who were trapped in vehicles were rescued by firefighters and briefly sheltered at police headquarters. There were no serious injuries as a result of the storm.
Between 8:30 and 11:45 p.m. Sept. 1, firefighters rescued 15 people from vehicles stuck in flash floodwaters around town. The Kendall Park Fire Department performed rescues at Route 1, Oakey Drive, Hawthorne Road and Shelly Road; the Monmouth Junction Fire Department performed rescues at Route 130, Major Road and Blackhorse Lane; and the Kingston Fire Department performed rescues at Route 1, Mapleton Road and Raymond Road.
There were 33 cars towed from flooded roads, and 51 motorists were assisted in high water calls.
There were 11 calls received about flooded basements.
There was widespread flooding, especially in the Kendall Park and Monmouth Junction sections of town.
The waters have receded in many locations but some roads still remain closed. As of 6 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, Route 1 between Ridge Road and Route 522, and Route 130 at the North Brunswick border, were closed.
As of 3 p.m. Sept. 2, all roads have been cleared of floodwaters with the exception of Route 27 at the Princeton border.
Previously, Route 1 in both directions between Promenade Boulevard and Ridge Road, Route 130 in both directions between Distribution Way and Davidsons Mill Road, New Road by Route 27, Route 1 at Raymond Road, and Route 1 near the Oakdale Mobile Home Park, were closed. Several cars were getting stuck in flooded roads.
Raymond J. Hayducka, the chief of police and director of the South Brunswick Office of Emergency Management, declared a state of emergency for South Brunswick Township.
“I want to thank all the police officers and firefighters who risked going into flooded waters to get people to safety. The flash flooding created life-threatening conditions in minutes. The conditions yesterday deteriorated rapidly last evening and too many people ventured out onto the roads. The property damage left behind will be cleaned up in the coming days, but we must all remember to stay off roads when flash flooding is present,” Hayducka said in a prepared statement.
South River: The Causeway area of South River is experiencing flooding. Barricades have been placed to close the area to traffic.
All other streets, including the Veterans Memorial Bridge (County Route 535) between South River and Sayreville, are unaffected and remain open to traffic.
This evening’s high tide in South River will occur at approximately 5:18 p.m. As high tide approaches and during the evening hours, full or partial closure of the Veterans Memorial Bridge between South River and Sayreville may be needed. If this becomes necessary, updates will be provided.
For more information, visit southriverpd.org/social-media
Spotswood: Mundy Avenue is closed by the bridge.
Overall, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly has issued a flood warning for eastern Mercer County, Monmouth County, southeastern Middlesex County, northeastern Burlington County and northern Ocean County.
At 1:38 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, local law enforcement reported flooding in the warned area. Several roads remain closed in northern Monmouth County, especially in Keyport, Middletown and Hazlet.
Between 1 and 4 inches of rain have fallen.
Flooding will likely continue for a few more hours.
Some locations that may experience flooding include Long Branch, Asbury Park, Sandy Hook, Lakewood, Middletown, Old Bridge, Jackson, Howell, East Brunswick, South Brunswick, Marlboro and Manalapan.
This includes New Jersey Turnpike between exits 7 and 9; Interstate 295 between mile markers 53 and 59, and near mile marker 63; Interstate 195 between mile markers 1 and 34; and the Garden State Parkway between mile markers 97 and 121.
The National Weather Service extended its flood warning for Middlesex County until 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2.
- This information was compiled from Nixle alerts sent out from various police departments.