Though weakened to tropical storm status early Sunday, Henri left his mark on the Central Jersey area with flooding, a sinkhole, power outages, downed trees and the cause of several accidents.
Even in its weakened state, Henri still packed wind gusts of up to 75 mph in some areas as it started a route up the northeastern coastline, along New York's Long Island and southern New England.
A flood watch continues in the area through Monday morning, with periods of heavy rain expected through Sunday night as Henri passed to the east. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches are forecast with locally higher amounts possible. The warning added that flash flooding also may occur and on some of the main stem rivers and large creeks, there may be significant banks rises or flooding.
Gov. Phil Murphy called Tropical storm Henri "largely a rain event," that was going to continue with winds possibly increasing.
"It is less than we had feared and less than places like Rhode Island are getting, but there is still a significant concern about rainfall, flash flooding and a flood watch is in effect for the entire state until tomorrow," Murphy said Sunday afternoon. "We are dealing with Mother Nature. We do everything we can to stay ahead of it and on top of it."
Murphy also acknowledged power outages, but deemed them less than expected.
The storm was not deemed a state of emergency, he said, noting "all those options are still on the table."
"We will do whatever we need to do ahead of it, during it or after it to make sure we keep as many people safe and on their feet as possible," Murphy said.
Helmetta, a borough in Middlesex County, was hit particularly hard with flooding Sunday. But throughout the day, the "outpour of support" from nearby towns and first responders has been "quite remarkable," Mayor Chris Slavicek said.
Flooding, and more to come
Helmetta was at the bull's-eye of the heavy band of rain that spiraled in the circulation of Henri. In the 24 hours ending at 9 a.m., Helmetta's 6.7 inches of rain was the most of any Central Jersey town, according to the Office of the New Jersey Climatologist at Rutgers University.
The heaviest rain was centered in central Middlesex County. East Brunswick recorded 4.25 inches while North Brunswick had 4 inches.
In Somerset County, Hillsborough recorded 3.23 inches and in Hunterdon, Flemington had 4 inches.
Flooding was the cause of most of the problems, shutting down streets, causing sink holes and weakening foundations. There were power outages as well, but not widespread. As of Sunday at 3:30 p.m., about 1,774 were reported without power by JCP&L with another eight reporting an outage by PSE&G in Middlesex, Hunterdon, Somerset, Union counties.
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The southern portion of Middlesex County received heavy rainfall over the early morning hours, causing flooding to several roads in Helmetta, South Brunswick, Monroe, Cranbury and Milltown.
In Somerset County, towns that reported flooding included Franklin and North Plainfield, while Union said Linden was hit with flooding.
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Residents were asked to stay off the roads and limit any travel Sunday morning.
Helmetta hit hard
In Helmetta, the Office of Emergency Management ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents and businesses on several streets including Railroad Avenue, John Place, John Street and Willow Street due to severe flooding. This is an area that is often hit hard by storms and hurricanes.
When Annie Dent left her home just before 7:30 a.m., en route to a training class for her job, John Street was bone dry.
“Nothing was wrong. There was no flooding. I drove out perfectly fine,” Dent said.
An hour and a half later, she received a frantic call from her daughter, at home on John Street: "Mom!," she said. "My car’s about to be stuck in a flood!"
John Street resident Michael Furey woke up to a flood alarm at 4:30 a.m., but said it was hours before the first flood waters could be seen.
"At nine o’clock, I came out of the house and the water was just cascading down the street, growing higher and higher," said Furey, living through his fourth flood on the street in 17 years.
The area is in a flood plain, but Furey blames the flooding not on the rain from Henri but on man-made errors, like flood gates that weren’t opened properly and old, collapsing drain pipes.
"This is all sandy dirt," he said, motioning to the tan brown sediment in the flood waters, which he believes came from construction sites in nearby Monroe and Cranbury.
"There’s a lot of construction going on in Monroe — look at Cranbury Road, (Route) 130. And everything over there is flooding," he said. "The towns don’t talk to each other, the committees don’t talk to each other, the developers don’t talk to each other. There’s no foresight."
According to the Helmetta Fire Department, there was a partial foundation collapse at a home at 38 John Street that occurred while removing evacuees. No injuries were reported.
All residents in the area were advised first to evacuate to the Helmetta Community Center on Brookside Place for shelter. Later, they were taken to Spotswood High School. Those in the Railroad Avenue section were advised to stay in their homes and await evacuation assistance from the OEM.
Helmetta's mayor said all residents were rescued safely and they were now working on getting pets out of homes.
"We are currently at a standstill," Slavicek said at 12:50 p.m. "Water has risen to nearly cover windows of cars. There is an abundant amount of homes that have water on the first floor. We are on the edge of our seats because high tide is coming in the next half hour. And we are supposed to get more rainfall from the storm."
The Middlesex County Fire Marshall also requested available water rescue teams to the area of the Helmetta firehouse to help evacuate the homes. A command post was set up at Main Street and Willow Street, across from the affected area.
Near to this area, Main Street in Helmetta closed near Allegiance Garden Center due to severe flooding.
READ:Memorial service will remember victims of Central Jersey floods
Not far away, at the border of East Brunswick and Spotswood, the intersection of Summerhill Road and Old Stage Road was closed due to a sinkhole.
Around 7:40 a.m. Sunday morning, Monroe Police reported the township was under a state of emergency as multiple roads were flooded and impassable. Several vehicles were reportedly stuck and had to be rescued. Shelters were being opened for residents of Monroe and Jamesburg.
In Rossmoor Village, an adult living community off Forsgate Drive, evacuations also were underway for impacted residents. As of 10:45 a.m., approximately 40 residents were rescued and were taken to the clubhouse.
Mayor Stephen Dalina said power restoration in Rossmoor will be delayed in the flooded areas because the homes need to be inspected by code officials and electricians. Monroe Township Construction Officials and JCPL are on the scene and will be in the coming days, he said.
"Since this morning, I have been in Rossmoor and throughout the township and visited the emergency shelter," said Dalina, who asked that residents stay off the roads. "There are severe flooding impacts throughout the township, particularly in areas of Rossmoor. In some areas, flood waters are beginning to recede, but many major roadways are still closed and completely flooded. Conditions are likely to worsen this afternoon and overnight as flood waters move through the town and waterways begin to crest. Additional rain is predicted overnight. Surrounding communities are also flooded with impassible roads making travel unsafe throughout the area."
Dalina said Monroe opened an emergency shelter at the Monroe Township Senior Center on Halsey Reed Road for those those who have been flooded, without power, and anyone who needs assistance. Currently, 10 residents from Rossmoor are being cared for there. Families also can reunite with their loved ones here.
Closed roads in Monroe included:
In East Brunswick, the fire department reported a basement filled with water and a collapse on Van Hise Court. The home was also filling with natural gas, so the fire department requested evacuating neighboring homes.
In Jamesburg, a car was stuck in the water near East Railroad Avenue while in Plainsboro, police reported two cars stuck in the water with three people inside on Pheasant Hollow Drive and Dey Road.
Closed roads in South Brunswick included:
In Milltown, police reported Washington Avenue near post office was flooded and closed.
In Sayreville, police reported the partial foundation collapse of a home on Ciecko Court.
Somerset County's Franklin was hit by flooding, with South Middlebush Road between Jacques Lane and Blackwells Mills Road closed as a result.
In North Plainfield, Route 22 westbound and West End Avenue were closed due to flooding waters over the Jersey barrier.
In Union, Linden police said road flooding at Route 1 southbound at Woodlawn Avenue which resulted in two lanes being closed.
Despite the torrential overnight downpour, most rivers in Central Jersey stayed within their banks.
The South Branch of the Raritan River at Neshanic Station crested at 15.13 feet around noon, according to the National Weather Service. The river had risen 10 feet in just seven hours.
In Middlesex County, the Lawrence Brook at Route 18 in East Brunswick peaked at 18.6 feet, six inches below the height recorded during Floyd in 1999.
At noon Sunday, though the Raritan and Millstone rivers were near flood stage, there was little flooding in the usual flood-prone spots. Blackwells Mill Road between Hillsborough and Franklin was flooding but no flooding was reported in the Lost Valley section of Manville.
However, that did not mean Central Jersey was out of the woods. With more rain expected, the National Weather Service is predicting the Raritan River at Bound Brook to crest at about 28.3 feet at around midnight Monday. By comparison, the river reached 42.3 feet during Floyd.
Staff writers Mike Deak and Mike Davis contributed to this report.
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Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: [email protected] or @CherylMakin.
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