Murphy declares state of emergency in Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties

James Nash | Trenton Bureau

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Bergen, Essex, Monmouth, Ocean and Passaic counties to allow state resources to deploy to communities ravaged by this past weekend's devastating flooding.

On Monday, Murphy toured flood-devastated homes at the request of Mayors James Damiano of Little Falls and Keith Kazmark of Woodland Park — towns hit hard by the storm.

Murphy said 190 homes were flooded in Little Falls and 210 were flooded in Woodland Park.

“The scene was, to say the least, heart-rending, heartbreaking,” Murphy said Tuesday morning. “The families I met know that our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

Murphy said state officials haven’t quantified damage estimates yet. He encouraged people who suffered storm-related damage to report that information to county emergency-management officials, who then would relay the information to the state.

Murphy said most monetary relief from flood damage would have to come from the federal government. In June, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved aid to homeowners and businesses that were damaged by a series of severe winter storms in Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties in early March.



"The hurdle we have to hit is high," Murphy said. "We were able to do that with the blizzards, and we're going to be as aggressive."

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At the Jersey Shore, a rain gauge in northern Brick registered 7.83 inches of rain, a total — accumulated over just seven hours on Monday — that beats any rainfall estimate on land from Superstorm Sandy, according to NASA.

Police Chief James Riccio declared a state of emergency in Brick due to "extensive flooding" throughout the township. He said 105 homes were evacuated Monday as up to 5 feet of water swamped low-lying sections of the community.



Parts of New Jersey received 5 to 8 inches of rain on Saturday and Sunday, exceeding normal totals for a full month. The downpours caused localized flooding, knocked down trees and inundated some areas with mud. The National Weather Service has indicated that parts of New Jersey will experience storms this week, which could complicate cleanup efforts.

Murphy said state officials are keeping a close eye on Brick, Wall and Howell, which already suffered from road flooding, bridge closures and downed trees.



"We're going to see this movie again," Murphy said while attending an unrelated event in Ewing. "The ground is saturated, so we're not out of the woods yet."