On December 17, power outages and floods were caused by strong storms that
affected the Northeast, including New Jersey. Power lines for over 300,000 residents
have been brought down by strong wind gusts reaching speeds of 40 to 50 mph. The
states having the most outages as of Monday morning are Massachusetts, New Jersey,
New York, and Connecticut. Throughout the day, strong and gusty winds were
predicted, and the difficulties of restoring electricity will cause an increase in power
outages. Somerset, Hunterdon, and Middlesex counties should expect significant
flooding; the Manville area is predicted to receive the worst flooding.
affected the Northeast, including New Jersey. Power lines for over 300,000 residents
have been brought down by strong wind gusts reaching speeds of 40 to 50 mph. The
states having the most outages as of Monday morning are Massachusetts, New Jersey,
New York, and Connecticut. Throughout the day, strong and gusty winds were
predicted, and the difficulties of restoring electricity will cause an increase in power
outages. Somerset, Hunterdon, and Middlesex counties should expect significant
flooding; the Manville area is predicted to receive the worst flooding.
In Manville’s northeastern section, the Raritan and Millstone Rivers intersect. In
just twenty five years, the community has experienced three “500-year floods”: storms
Floyd (1999), Irene (2011), and Ida (2021). Hurricane Ida’s aftereffects devastated the
whole town of Manville, flooding half of the borough and rising to a record 27.66 feet.
Even after two years, some homes are still getting over the destruction. Locals who are
still fixing up their houses were informed by the state in August of this year that they had
two options: either accept a buyout on their properties or stay put and rebuild on their
own without assistance. This infuriated residents who had been waiting for help from the
state for the past two years.
When floodwaters reached a moderate height of 19.84 feet on Monday,
December 18, the borough was reminded of painful memories experienced by Super
Storm Ida. Certain roads were submerged as a result of the clogged sewers. Residents
in certain neighborhoods were told to evacuate due to quickly rising water levels. Some
residents even experienced water seeping into their basements. Due to flooded regions,
portions of Main Street had to be closed, which caused heavy traffic in the town. Some
cars that became stuck in the water had to be towed out. In the Lost Valley, Lincoln
Park was completely flooded.
The Manville School District announced that there would be a delayed opening
the following day. “The safety of our students and community members is our
paramount concern. The Manville School District is actively monitoring the flooding
situation in collaboration with local authorities, including the Manville Office of
Emergency Management and the Manville Police Department. In the event of any
changes to our plans, we are committed to promptly updating the community,” said
Superintendent Jamil Maroun.
Throughout the night, the water descended rapidly. While this flood was not as
severe as the Ida disaster in 2021, it was still enough to strike fear in residents
throughout the town.
