South Orange and Maplewood residents spent the evening bailing out basements and moving valuables to higher ground, as streets and parks flooded, town officials asked everyone to stay indoors, and Gov. Murphy declared a state of emergency for all of New Jersey.
The remnants of Ida dumped more than 5 inches of rain in the course of the day, according to local gauges.
South Orange Village Township posted the following message sometime after 9:30 p.m. to its Facebook page and Instagram:
From our Office of Emergency Management: “ALL RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO GET OFF THE ROADS IMMEDIATELY. THERE ARE MULTIPLE IMPASSABLE STREETS. DO NOT DRIVE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.” Please use caution and stay safe everyone!
Shortly after 10 p.m., NJ Transit announced, “All NJ TRANSIT rail service, with the exception of the Atlantic City Rail Line, is suspended due to weather related issues.”
Maplewood OEM Township Committee liaison Vic DeLuca posted on Facebook: “Severe Weather Alert – Shelter In Place. Maplewood is currently under a severe weather alert. At this time, residents are advised to shelter in place. Stay inside and do not go out to inspect damage until daylight, as there is a danger of falling trees and/or wires. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911. All outages and fallen trees may be reported to the Maplewood PD at 973-762-1234.”
South Orange Village President Sheena Collum posted, “Neighbors – stay home and do not leave under any circumstances. Road closures are underway in town due to flooding. Below is a video and image of what’s occurring right now to show you the severity (taken by our Office of Emergency Management, do not go out).”
This story will be updated.
Driving near Third and Valley in South Orange, September 1, 2021:
The following video is from Midland Boulevard in Maplewood, NJ, courtesy of Catherine Racette:
