Middlesex, N.J. inundated with 4 inches of rain, leading to flooding all over
MIDDLESEX, N.J. -- Sunday night's storm was too much for Middlesex. The water pooled in streets and in basements.
Flooding was so pervasive across the town on Monday, it was hard to tell where Bound Brook ended and roads began. More than four inches of rain pummeled the area in less than 24 hours, leaving dozens of families stranded. Others, though, decided to trudge through.
"It was only halfway to the parking lot and within the hour this happened," neighbor Mujtaba Sidiqee said.
Sidiqee, who lives in Park Brook Gardens, said first responders came banging on their doors at 9 a.m. to evacuate the complex. It's an improvement from before. He said when Ida hit two years ago, there was no warning.
"This time they got ahead of the game a little bit and we're able to get everybody out beforehand. Only the first floor flooded," Sidiqee said.
All around the Bound Brook, families found their streets impassable and cars disabled. On 3rd Street, the Vargas were holding their breath all morning.
"If it didn't stop raining just about an hour ago, it would have come up to the stairs. Actually, my neighbor next door, he got six inches of water already," Deborah Vargas said.
There is ongoing work by the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flood risk here, but families say progress has been slow and the storm keep worsening.
"Every time this happens, the whole neighborhood panics. We've been under a lot of stress," Vargas said.
