More than 100 residents and 17 pets rescued from Wayne flood zone
WAYNE — Dozens of evacuees will miss the comfort of their own homes this holiday weekend as the flooded-out residents seek shelter in hotels or with relatives.
Then, there are those like Lisa Biamonte of Leo Place.
She self-evacuated from her 2½-story home Monday night as the water around her kept rising, and she returned there three days later to pick up the pieces of her life.
Biamonte said she had planned to move out of the township when her younger son, 13, graduates from high school.
But as she noted, “It might be sooner than that.”
RIVER FLOODING: Wayne declares state of emergency with many streets deluged and impassable
On Thursday afternoon, Biamonte arrived at the headquarters of the township Office of Emergency Management with her daughter, 18, to pick up a cleanup kit from volunteers with the American Red Cross.
The five-gallon kit is packed with supplies, including bleach, garbage bags and rubber gloves.
More than 100 people and 17 pets were evacuated from their 1st Ward homes by police boats deployed in the days since Sunday night’s storm, according to Mayor Christopher Vergano, who added that 25 others were pulled to safety from stranded vehicles.
“The sad part is we’re right around Christmas,” Vergano said, addressing the Township Council at a meeting Wednesday night. “People aren’t going to be in their homes for Christmas, and that’s really a shame.”
The storm caused the Passaic River and its tributaries to breach their banks, leading to catastrophic flooding in the township and across the area.
The river crested in Little Falls at 10.3 feet Wednesday morning, according to a gauge reading by the National Weather Service.
Only eight times has the level of the river ever climbed higher than that.
Part of the fallout in neighboring Lincoln Park occurred when firefighters could not extinguish a fire at a house enveloped by floodwater.
And in Pequannock Township, drivers were left scratching their heads because Route 23 was shut down in both directions. The highway crosses the Pompton River, which branches off the Passaic at the border of Fairfield — yet another place that did not fare well.
“There were massive amounts of cars with absolutely no place to go,” Vergano said. “I’m sure that we had a lot of frustrated drivers.”
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Biamonte, meanwhile, could not even begin to think about getting in a car.
To escape the flood, Biamonte said she and her elder son, 24, had to wade through the floodwater to Ryerson Avenue. Her son carried the family dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, in his arms. They stayed with a friend that night, and on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, they had a room at local hotel.
Christmas will feel a lot different this year, Biamonte conceded. And her outdoor decorations, she said, are “probably no good.”
“We’re hoping,” she said. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
The distribution of Red Cross kits for residents affected by the flood was scheduled to continue Friday at 10 a.m. at the OEM headquarters on Rohrbach Memorial Way.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Flood-ravaged Wayne residents get Red Cross cleanup supplies
