Heavy Rain, Winds Impact Scotch Plains-Fanwood Area

Heavy rains and strong wind gusts have caused significant flooding and damage to our area, with several roads closed off and many residents struggling with basement flooding.

Scotch Plains Police report that parts of Route 22 in Scotch Plains and West Broad Street are the main roads closed off in town thus far. The department is getting lots of calls from residents having issues with their sump pumps.

Fanwood Police report that North Avenue between Morse and Midway avenues is closed until further notice. Residents in the borough are also reporting problems with basement flooding.

Several parts of North Jersey are also without power Saturday evening. PSE&G is reporting between 501 and 2,000 outages in Union County alone. The New York Times has reported that a combined 265,000 residents are without power from southern Jersey up to the New York metro area.

Fanwood resident Caleb Cohen submitted this photo taken from the Route 22 overpass in Scotch Plains. Cohen reports that Route 22 Westbound is closed between McDonalds and Terrill Road in Scotch Plains. NJ DOT is reporting as of 6:45 p.m. that the Route 22 W ramp to Bonnie Burn Road/Park Avenue is now closed.

Travel is also temporarily suspended on the Raritan Valley NJ Transit line due to weather-related issues.

For up-to-the-minute road reports, go here.

The National Weather Service is calling for damaging winds throughout our area this evening, with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour possible. A flood warning is also in effect through 10 p.m. As of 6 p.m., between 2 1/2 and 3 inches of rain had fallen on the area so far, according to the weather service.

Several neighborhood roads have been closed off and others are also significantly covered in rain, as evidenced by the above Fanwood photos sent in by Cohen.

The flooding is likely due to the back-to-back heavy snow falls we received in late February. As the snow melted over the past few weeks, the ground became saturated, causing this weekend's rainfall to merely run off what would otherwise be permeable surfaces. With the fully waterlogged ground, areas that may not otherwise see flooding could be underwater this weekend.

Cohen reports that he's seen clogged storm drains in his area due to debris being washed onto the grates. Residents who have cars parked on the road may want to consider moving them, as even partially clogged drains can create localized areas of high water that can damage the undercarriage, suspension and brake system of a vehicle left parked in the water. Any resident with a storm drain on their property is also encouraged to check it periodically and rake away any leaves, branches or other detritus that may have accumulated. One clogged storm drain can impact an entire block in terms of flooding yards and basements.

What's it look like in your neighborhood? Send reports and photos from where you are to lindsay@patch.com.

The Tri-County Red Cross also reported this evening that it has opened a shelter at the Vermeule Community Center in North Plainfield for residents leaving their homes due to localized flooding. Many of the creeks and streams are reaching their banks, and due to the expected continued rainfall through tomorrow are likely to overflow.

The Red Cross is opening the shelter at the request of North Plainfield Mayor Mike Giordano and the North Plainfield Office of Emergency Management, who are currently on-site. Red Cross volunteers have been contacted and are arriving on the scene to roll out the supplies in the Disaster Trailer from Plainfield housed at Muhlenberg Hospital.

"We are hopeful that this will be a small shelter, and that other communities will not find it necessary to request Red Cross sheltering services," said Nathan Rudy, Tri-County Red Cross Executive Director.  "However, we are ready to assist any of our 22 communities in Union, Somerset and Middlesex Counties as needed."

Tri-County Red Cross Emergency Services Director Michael Prasad is also monitoring other communities that flood in Union, Somerset and Middlesex counties and will assist them as needed.  In addition to flooding, there have been sporadic power outages and other issues related to the Nor 'Easter currently pummeling New Jersey and the Eastern Seaboard.

The Vermeule Community Center is at 614 Greenbrook Road in North Plainfield, and can shelter more than 150 people if necessary. At this time there are no mandatory evacuations, and anyone using the shelter do so voluntarily.