7.83 Inches Of Rain, 100 Evacuations In Brick

BRICK, NJ — The storm that dumped nearly 8 inches of rain on Brick Township Monday morning was continuing to cause problems on Monday evening.

Lanes Mill Road remained closed from Burnt Tavern Road to Herbertsville Road as of 5 p.m., police said, and a state of emergency declared by Police Chief James Riccio remained in effect, telling drivers to stay off the roads due to the flooding and predictions of further rain Monday evening.

A flash flood warning that had been in effect most of the day was extended until after 9 p.m. by the National Weather Service's Mount Holly office. The office also said Brick had received 7.83 inches of rain during the morning deluge, which sparked the evacuations of more than 100 people from the Greenbriar I senior community.

Water on Markham Drive was deep enough that rescuers from the Brick Township police, fire and EMS services had to use boats to reach residents' homes and take them to the Greenbriar I clubhouse, where the Brick Township CERT (Citizens Emergency Response Team) volunteers and the Red Cross assisted them. Brick Township personnel were assisted by personnel from Point Pleasant and Lakewood, according to radio transmissions. TowBoat US also responded with a boat.

It was not known how long they would be displaced from their homes.

"This was a classic flash flood," said Dave Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist, whose offices are at Rutgers University. He did not have historical records on rainfall specifically for Brick, but said the deluge was definitely a rare event.

The highest single-event rainfall event recorded in New Jersey was July 14, 2005, when 13.2 inches of rain fell in Tabernacle, Robinson said.

The rainfall also forced the closure of the ramp at Exit 90 on the Garden State Parkway at Chambersbridge Road for part of the day, and shut down the right lane on the Parkway itself between Brick and Wall, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Flooding is bad on a number of roads. People posting on the Whats going on in Brick Facebook page have shared photos of flooding on Burnt Tavern Road by Greenbriar 1, on Route 70 near Chambersbridge Road and reporting flooding on New York Avenue, Lanes Mill Road, Burrsville Road and on Jack Martin Boulevard, enough to block the entrance to Ocean Medical Center, according to the posts.

The Greenwood Park area and Primrose Lane also were badly flooded, according to residents.

@News12NJ severe flooding in Brick. Can't get out of my neighborhood for work. pic.twitter.com/OzTA02BFN0
— Tyler Zupan (@tzupes) August 13, 2018

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Flooding on Primrose Lane in Brick by Allison Marie, published with permission