Flood — Hunterdon, New Jersey

2006-06-28 to 2006-06-30 · near Countywide, Hunterdon, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

Several days of heavy rain throughout the Delaware River Basin culminated with major flooding along the Delaware River from the 28th through the 30th. It was the fourth highest crest on record for the Delaware River along Hunterdon County. The crest was slightly lower than the April 2005 flood. President George W. Bush declared Hunterdon County a disaster area. One man in Lambertville drowned when he walked into flood waters. Sporadic periods of heavy rain started on the 23rd, but the most widespread and heaviest rain fell from the night of the 27th into the morning of the 28th. Event totals in Hunterdon County averaged four to eight inches, but storm totals exceeded 10 inches in parts of the Upper Delaware Basin in New York State.Governor Jon Corzine declared a state of emergency from the 28th through the 30th. Approximately 1250 homes and businesses in the state were damaged, four were destroyed. Many homes had their basement appliances and furniture ruined. The disaster area declaration made individual and public assistance possible. The entire state of New Jersey was also available for assistance from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Between Mercer and Sussex Counties ten Delaware River bridges operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission were closed. Tolls were suspended on bridges that remained open to ease congestion on the 28th through the 30th. Four bridges were still closed the night of the 29th, three bridges were closed on July 1st, they all were re-opened on the 2nd. Emergency responders told people to not walk into flooded waters because it might contain sewage and other contaminants. Many homes also had oil in their basements from ruptured tanks. There was also concern about persons with individual wells having their drinking water compromised. An explosion of mold and mosquitoes was expected in the wake of the flood. Crops closest to the ground were also impacted by the flood and included cabbage, cucumbers, strawberries, spinach and squash.In Hunterdon County. a 39-year-old man was found dead in Swan Creek near the Lambertville Municipal Court on the 29th. He was last seen alive leaving the Inn of the Hawk on South Main Street. The Delaware River was backing into Swan Creek and spilling onto nearby streets. In Hunterdon County nearly 400 homes and businesses were damaged. Nearly 100 homes and about 5 Lambertville businesses suffered major damage. Most businesses re-opened by July 2nd. About 1000 people were evacuated from river municipalities. The worst reported damage was in Frenchtown, Lambertville and Stockton. Flood damage was also reported on West Amwell, Delaware, Kingwood, Alexandria, Milford and Holland Townships. Flooding caused approximately one million dollars in roadway damage. In Lambertville, about 400 people were evacuated. Homes on six blocks were heavily damaged as the downtown business area was flooded. The borough's sewage and dechlorination plant were under water. Most businesses were able to re-open on the 30th and all were back by July 2nd. The worst flooding was reported on Lambert Lane, which took the longest for evacuees to return. While it was reopened, the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge suffered the most damage of all of the Delaware River bridges and will need repairs. In Stockton, a levee breach compounded the flooding. Evacuations (about 150 persons) occurred from the Delaware River east to New Jersey State Route 29. Most of the flooding was confined to basements, but many oil tanks ruptured and caused a large oil slick in the borough. In Frenchtown, the sewage treatment plant was damaged. About 100 families evacuated. Most of the home damage in the borough occurred along River Road where up to four feet of water amassed on the first floor. Flood waters from the Delaware River backed the Nishisakawick Creek, which also flooded. In Holland Township, 15 homes were flooded into their first floor. In the middle of the Delaware River, about 200 boy scouts and counselors were evacuated from the Treasure Island Boy Scout Camp. For the second year in a row, extensive damage caused its closure for the season. Bull's Island Recreation Area was also badly damaged by the flooding. While the bridge to the island was repaired, the campsites will remain closed for the remainder of the 2006 season. Heavy rain also caused inland poor drainage and parkland flooding. In Clinton, the South Branch of the Raritan River flooded the parking lot of the Hunterdon Museum of Art. The Delaware River at Riegelsville (Bucks County) was above its 22 foot flood stage from 451 a.m. EDT on the 28th through 632 p.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 33.62 feet at 300 p.m. EDT on the 29th, the fourth highest crest on record. Farther downstream at Frenchtown, the Delaware River was above its 16 foot flood stage from 827 a.m. EDT on the 28th through 835 p.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 22.90 feet at 500 p.m. EDT on the 4th, the fourth highest crest on record. Farther downstream, at Stockton, the Delaware River was above its 18 foot flood stage from 4 a.m. EDT on the 28th through 620 p.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 25.35 feet at 7 p.m. EDT on the 29th, the fourth highest crest on record. Farther downstream, at Lambertville the Delaware River was above its 13 foot flood stage from 805 a.m. EDT on the 28th through 401 p.m. EDT on the 30th. It crested at 19.08 feet at 6 p.m. EDT on the 29th, the fourth highest crest on record. Inland the South Branch of the Raritan River at High Bridge was above its 10 foot flood stage from 107 p.m. EDT through 422 p.m. EDT on the 28th. It crested at 10.11 feet at 2 p.m. EDT. Farther downstream at Stanton, the South Branch of the Raritan was above its 8 foot flood stage from 750 a.m. EDT through 927 p.m. EDT on the 28th. It crested at 9.33 feet at 1130 a.m. EDT.Actual storm rainfall totals included 7.59 inches in Lebanon Township, 7.32 inches in Flemington and 6.08 inches in Stockton.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5518470. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.