In Manville. NJ, at approximately 6:00 PM, is when the rain started. While most residents had thought that it was just a normal rainstorm passing by, as usual, it ended up being something that would change the lives of every single person in the small town. As the rain increased at a rate so fast nobody even realized it, the floods occurred. The flooding happened at almost every house including houses that weren’t even in a flood zone. For most houses in the valley of the town, they were completely submerged in water. Many residents lost their homes and all of their belongings just overnight. It was a disastrous occurrence that will surely take a long recovery and a community effort to fix. Roadways were turned into rivers. Falling trees and power lines blocked roadways while at least 3 tornados hit the state of New Jersey.

While many residents had not realized it yet, that was only the beginning. These people had not yet learned of the sheer amount of damage that actually happened. Buildings were exploding and houses were completely decimated by water. In New Jersey alone, there was a record of about 27 deaths and about 100 homes that were completely uninhabitable. Approximately 500 people had to be rescued from their homes which most ended up completely destroyed. This flood was most definitely one of the worst we’ve gotten, apart from hurricanes Sandy and Floyd, and Manville residents are currently working on fixing it.

Despite the amount of damage, just like a muscle that tears and then grows back stronger, this damage will only make the town even stronger. We will come together to rebuild and this town will recover. In Manville, strength is in our hearts and it flows through our blood. That is what it means to be a resident of Manville, we never give up.