Northeastern Flooding Enters Eighth Day - USA Today

[hatrack]

Much of the waterlogged Northeast entered its eighth straight day of rain Friday, a deluge that has trapped motorists, delayed airline flights and sent streams surging over their banks. At least 10 people have died in the region since last weekend because of the downpours, and four others were missing in New Hampshire. Forecasters predicted another 2 to 3 inches of rain.

Flood warnings covered parts of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, and residents in some New Jersey communities were urged to evacuate their homes. Northern New Jersey received as much as 6 inches of rain in two days. A surge of rain over the weekend dumped about 5 inches across the state and as much as 10 in a few spots.

"We are keeping a close eye on the rivers and waiting to see what happens, how high the water levels will go, especially during the overnight hours," Sgt. Barry Leventhal, spokesman for the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, said late Thursday.

The National Guard handed out thousands of sand bags in New Jersey's Essex and Passaic counties. Inmates from the Passaic County jail were pressed into duty at a public works garage filling the bags with road sand normally used during snowstorms. Water lapped at the foundations of some Bergen County homes, and officials there expected rivers to swell even more. "We're just bracing for the next storm," said county Executive Dennis McNerney. "But we're not building an ark just yet."


EDIT

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2005-10-14-northeast-flooding_x.htm

[Jersey Ginny]

1. I'm waiting to see someone building an arc

I've never seen anything like this. Is 8 straight days of heavy rain a record? Fortunately, I live on a hill.

[babylonsister]

2. Nah, no records, but perhaps so in NJ.

During TS Allison in Houston, we had about 8 straight days of rain, tons of flooding, and where I live, 20 inches of rain. Luckily, we have a flood control ditch behind our house, but houses a few blocks away were totally flooded.

[Jersey Ginny]

3. It's time for a Am. Taliban wingnuts to say the rain is a message from God

Lots of targets up here in the liberal northeast!

[Dogmudgeon]

5. Keep in mind, New Hampshire went for Bush

--p!

[skids]

6. Umm, no, Kerry won NH.

...unless you're talking 2000...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/NH/

[Dogmudgeon]

9. I probably was

--p!

[ramapo]

7. No records

NJ has had a lot of rain over the past week. I've measured 11+ inches. The flooding is bad in spots but we've certainly had worse. Aside from a couple of isolated records, this storm was not a major record breaker.

[skids]

4. And at least two more to go.

I haven't seen the sun in so, so long... :cry:

[NNadir]

8. About 30 cm (12 in) here in the Princeton area.

We had some flooding, a little in my downstairs office that required the shop vac. I had to do some emergency grading in the rain.

I had to travel to Long Island this weekend on business, Long Island being a sandy moraine. Lots of flooding there too. I took the train out and traveled by car only a little, so I can't comment on traffic.

None of this amounts to much though when compared to Hurricane Floyd just a few years ago (actually tropical storm Floyd by the time it got here, but it submerged whole towns over the roof tops.)

The Delaware River has had two "hundred year" floods this year before this latest round. It may not be as bad this time. As was the case with Floyd, this rain comes after a pretty rough drought. The river was low, and there was probably some fair capacity in it.

This is all, in my view, just one tiny facet of climate destabilization. Much worse is to come, and not only here.

[skids]

10. OMG. Is that.... the sun? n/t