Red Cross Staging in Burlington County to Help Storm-Impacted Residents

DELRAN – Assistance is available for Burlington County residents impacted by Tuesday’s storm.

The Burlington County Office of Emergency Management is working with the American Red Cross to stage a short-term shelter and disaster relief center at the Delran Firehouse at 9 South Bridgeboro Street to provide assistance to storm-impacted residents, including those who evacuated due to the floods or loss of utilities.

“Burlington County has a great team of experienced public safety first responders and professionals, who proved their value again last night and today,” said Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Dan O’Connell. “While we’re relieved that no serious injuries have been reported, we know many Burlington County residents have been impacted by this storm, so we’re grateful the Red Cross is working with us to provide short-term assistance to those who need it.”

Emergency officials said floodwaters remain a concern due to the rising tides and that gusting winds could also cause more power outages and road closures.

“Utility and road crews are still coping with the aftermath and cleanup from this most recent storm. We’re asking residents to use caution and give these workers room to operate,” O’Connell said.

Tuesday’s intense storm dropped between 2 to 3 inches of rain across most of Burlington County. That added to already high rivers, streams and water tables causing the Delaware River to crest at a record-breaking 11.99 feet. Unfortunately, this created severe flooding conditions along the Route 130 corridor.

First responders conducted water rescues from multiple homes in Burlington County – three in Delran, three in Cinnaminson and 1 each in Palmyra, Bordentown City and Riverside. All evacuated residents are housed. No sheltering operations were required.

Delran and Cinnaminson were the hardest hit towns. More than 50 homes in each town were impacted by flood predominantly in areas of Alden and Stewart Avenues and River Drive in Delran and the East Riverton section of Cinnaminson.

Beverly also sustained damages to its sewage plant, and firefighters responded to a house fire in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township on Tuesday night during the storm.

More than 4,000 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday morning, mostly in Medford, Willingboro, Pemberton, North Hanover and Southampton.

About 2,000 were still without power Wednesday afternoon.

Several roads in the county are also still closed, including parts of Eayrestown Road (County Route 612) and Creek Road in Lumberton, Route 537 in Springfield, Route 38 west of Pine Street in Mount Holly. The Delanco-Riverside Bridge is also closed due to floodwaters.

O’Connell toured some of the impacted areas of Delran on Wednesday afternoon. He said residents told him the flooding was the worst in recent history, exceeding even Superstorm Sandy’s impacts.

“The more frequent and intense storms, floods and extreme weather events shows how climate change is a threat,” O’Connell said. “Thankfully, our County is working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and many of our most at-risk communities to better plan for climate change so we can reinforce our infrastructure and hopefully reduce some of the impacts

Last year, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announced a grant award for Burlington County and 11 municipalities along the Delaware River to assess climate change-related hazards and do resiliency planning for floods and severe storms.

“While I am thankful that no lives were lost after yesterday’s storm, my heart goes out to the dozens of families in Delran whose homes were impacted by flooding,” said Senator Troy Singleton. “We will continue to work with the NJDEP to address municipal resiliency – not just in Delran but in towns along the Delaware River – so that future storms have less of a hazardous impact.”