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    Floods of Northern New Jersey
    Floods of Northern New Jersey
    Floods of Northern New Jersey
    Ebook175 pages56 minutes

    Floods of Northern New Jersey

    By Amre Youssef and North Jersey Media Group

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    About this ebook

    Situated between winding rivers and prone to turbulent storms, northern New Jersey has had an extensive and tumultuous history of flooding. The most severe flood occurred in 1903 when three days of nonstop rain, averaging 12 inches per day, melted more than 23 inches of snow and ice inundating the cities of Passaic and Wallington and splitting Paterson in two. Since 1945, more than 60 documented storms have wreaked havoc and shaken the region. In 2011, the second-worst storm in North Jersey s history, Hurricane Irene, struck with more than 11 inches of rain, displacing 6,000 residents in Paterson alone and hitting Bergen and Passaic Counties with a vengeance. Only one year later, Superstorm Sandy rolled into North Jersey, flooding Moonachie and Little Ferry with surges up to five feet. Floods of Northern New Jersey showcases the rich documentation of flooding through a unique and significant photographic collection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2014
    ISBN9781439644706
    Floods of Northern New Jersey
    Author

    Amre Youssef

    For more than 100 years, the Record and its sister publications have chronicled these floods in pictures and words. Floods of Northern New Jersey depicts the newspapers� rich archival photograph collection, capturing the moment and the devastation of some of these great floods

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      Floods of Northern New Jersey - Amre Youssef

      Smyck.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Gulf Coast is hammered by hurricanes, California is rocked by earthquakes, and Oklahoma is ripped apart by tornadoes. In North Jersey, we have flooding.

      A natural disaster that has been exacerbated by development, flooding has become so chronic that some residents have come to expect deluged basements, evacuations, and visits from insurance adjusters every spring.

      In the last five years alone, the region has endured three of the costliest floods on record, amassing an estimated $2 billion in damages. Eleven floods since 1968 have prompted federal disaster declarations, including ones in 2007 and 2010. Heavy rains in 2011 wrought more destruction, leaving some neighborhoods under chest-high water.

      The problem is nothing new. The first recorded flood happened a decade before the Declaration of Independence was signed. The worst came in 1903, when the Passaic River at Little Falls crested at 17.5 feet. Even as the power of the Great Falls spurred the American Industrial Revolution, the factories and homes that sprang up along the river were often swamped by floods.

      But the post–World War II housing boom in towns like Wayne, Little Falls, and Pompton Lakes, coupled with the construction of Willowbrook Mall and a vast highway system, have made the flooding worse. The winter thaw and the heavy rains of March and April have few places to go with so much asphalt and concrete covering what used to be a prehistoric lake.

      In Bergen County, a deluge often forces emergency officials to bring out boats to evacuate residents of Hackensack, and neighborhoods in Saddle Brook, Lodi, and Carlstadt are often under siege by floodwaters. Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 was especially bad, as every stream, brook, and river seemed to overflow, swamping dozens of towns in just a few short hours. A dam in Rockland County broke, sending a surge of water into Hillsdale.

      Federal and state officials have spent decades searching for a solution. A special commission created by Gov. Chris Christie recommended several ways to minimize flooding in the Passaic River Basin, from removing dams to elevating homes. Some houses in floodplains are being bought out. But solutions can have unintended consequences: floodgates that helped stop flooding in Oakland may be responsible for increased flooding in Pompton Lakes.

      The governor’s commission made this sobering conclusion: There is no ‘silver bullet’ that will solve the flooding . . . none of its recommendations can change the reality of the Passaic River Basin: Floodplains will continue to flood in this basin.

      One

      A HISTORY OF FLOODING

      IN NORTH JERSEY

      The flood of 1903 hit North Jersey between October 9 and 13 and was termed the flood of record. It exceeded all previously recorded floods since Colonial times, including the previous flood of 1902. The flood destroyed bridges, dams, railroads, residences, and industries. It was a vicious tropical storm that caused the Passaic, Ramapo, and Pompton Rivers to swell and flood its nearby towns. On October 10, the Passaic River crested at Little Falls, measuring 17.5 feet. This is three feet more than the August 2012 Hurricane Irene, the second worst flooding disaster in North Jersey’s history.

      On the first day of the storm of 1903, Paterson received 11.4 inches of rain. Two days later, that number climbed to 15 inches. It took its toll on the city’s thriving silk industry, injured hundreds, and left three people dead. A couple of minutes after its encounter with Paterson, the storm turned to Bergen County, wreaking more havoc across the county. (Photograph by Leonard Doremus; courtesy of the Paterson Museum.)

      Near the Little and Great Falls, dams and highway bridges succumbed to the powerful rage of the flood. The West Street Bridge, the first bridge right below the falls, split and was carried away by strong currents, as seen in this 1903 image taken in Paterson. (Courtesy of Gene Marchese.)

      This is a 1903 aerial view of Paterson’s scenic Valley of the Rocks, situated near the Great Falls. The Valley of the Rocks overlooked many of the great mill buildings that fueled the prospering city. (Courtesy of Gene Marchese.)

      This image was also captured in Paterson in 1903. This scene at River Street near Arch Street is a common place for flooding that has endured throughout the years. The Arch Street Bridge (not shown), built only one year earlier at a cost of $34,000, collapsed during the flood. (Courtesy of Gene Marchese.)

      Rising waters of the Passaic River brought many homes along the banks perilously close to inundation. The county road department reported on November 10, 1932, that there were a number of road washouts, particularly in the back hill country. Shown above is the effect

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