'Completely surrounded': Morris contends with more flooding as towns urge some to evacuate

For Lincoln Park's Kristen Perry, it was getting old. Wednesday marked the third time in three weeks that floodwaters invaded the garage of her yellow raised ranch near the Pompton River.

The latest deluge wasn't as bad as the mid-December rainstorm that left 4 feet of water swirling around the property at Ryerson Road and Pequannock Avenue. This time, Perry "only" had to contend with 2 feet, she said. Still, she picked her son up early from Pequannock Township High School, worried he might have trouble getting home if the river continued to rise.

“The water comes around both sides of our house. If it rises high enough, it meets in the middle of the yard it and will connect and then our house is completely surrounded by water,” she said. “I don't think it's supposed to be as bad as last time, which is good but, it's still a little nerve-wracking. I don’t want my son walking through disgusting, muddy river water to get back in the house."

From Dover to Denville to Montville and Pequannock, waters were receding around Morris County by Wednesday evening, but roads and intersections remained flooded in some spots after the region's latest soaking. Authorities were still urging caution.

Flood warnings in Lincoln Park, Pequannock

“River flooding is expected this evening,” Lincoln Park officials warned in an alert to the community earlier in the afternoon. “Residents in flood-prone areas are urged to self-evacuate before roads become impassable. For the safety of our first responders, assisted evacuations will end at 10 p.m. unless there is an emergency.”

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In the Pompton Plains section of Pequannock, the Pompton River was still in a "major flood stage" when it crested around 4 p.m. at 20.4 feet, according to the National Weather Service. That was 4 feet above flood level, though the river was projected to continue falling, the agency said.

Earlier in the day, stores were open and traffic was brisk along the flood-prone Route 202 corridor from Montville through Lincoln Park into Pequannock. But significant flooding could be seen in some neighborhoods, including homes along River Road, parallel to Route 202 near the Wayne border where the Pompton River bends. Those River Road homes were completely surrounded by floodwater.

More flooding could be seen nearby along Ryerson Road, while the Lincoln Park Community Lake recreation complex was completely under water. So was the boat launch at Aqueduct Park.

Road closings in Montville, Denville

Boonton Turnpike at the Wayne border and Two Bridges Road both remained closed in Lincoln Park. In Montville, police Changebridge Road would be closed, with the Passaic River expected to rise until 1 a.m.

(Above: Before and after views of flooding in Denville.)

In Denville, floodwaters were dropping in many areas and Route 46 near Bloomfield Avenue was open as of 3 p.m. following earlier closures. Bloomfield Avenue was still closed due to flooding, as were Second Avenue, McCarter Park and several parking lots.

But downtown, Broadway was open, as was Pocono Road after Rockaway River flooding closed it earlier in the day near Saint Clare’s Hospital. Several hospital lots were still under water, so visitors were parking along Pocono Road. The river at 3 p.m. was flowing heavily, just below the bridge into Mountain Lakes.

In Lincoln Park, looking for a way out

Perry, 53, and her husband Brian, 50, moved to town 14 years ago to be near his family. Since then there have been numerous floods, some major, some minor, she said.

At this point, the family would like to get out. But neighbors have had trouble selling their homes.

“Our neighbors were trying to sell their house and they actually had some offers and then the potential buyers came during the first flood and took pictures and video and I don't think they ever heard from them again. It's frustrating.”

She’s hoping the government might help. Perry applied to the state's Blue Acres program, which buys out homes in flood prone areas. The initial application was turned down, but she tried again recently.

“I sent them video of the water just rushing into our driveway after Irene in 2011 and I sent them pictures of the last two storms and said, ‘How do we apply again?’  But I forget, what the reply was. Honestly, my brain is just fried from all this. I don't remember what he said.”

Staff writer Jaime Walters contributed to this article.

Email: myers@northjersey.com, wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com 

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Morris County flooding swamps homeowners again after latest storm