Gov. Phil Murphy tours storm damage in Warren County after declaring state of emergency
BELVIDERE, N.J. -- New Jersey was hit hard by Sunday's storms. Parts of the state still under a state of emergency.
The damage was extensive in some places. CBS New York saw water rushing down from one hill and buckling a roadway. Neighbors said it wasn't the first time they have had to deal with flood waters, but it was the worst they have ever seen.
Flood waters from a creek above engulfed Route 46 in Belvidere and raged toward a home and its kennel with about 20 dogs inside.
"I was so afraid of what I was going to find when I went into the back of the kennel because I had no idea how much water was going to be in there. There was a river coming on the edge of the building," flood victim Kathryn Mines said. "Thank God all the doors were closed and it was holding off the water, so the dogs were okay."
Mines and her husband Jeffrey Evans' surveillance video depicts how raging waters took over their vehicles, which on Monday were trapped in several feet of mud.
With no time to comprehend what was going on, Evans said he got in his backhoe.
"I went up on the highway and dug a ditch on the side of the highway to divert the water away from our house and our neighbor's house and send it out Brook Side Avenue, where the rest of the water was going," Evans said.
The before-and-after video startled other neighbors who also recovering from the mudslide.
The couple's dogs -- all labs -- were in the competition, show and performance kennel.
"We couldn't get the vehicles out. I wanted to get the dogs and leave, but there is water coming from the back of the house. There is water between the house and the kennel and a raging river in front of us," Mines said.
Crews had to dig the couple out. Gov. Phil Murphy toured the area Monday morning and urged residents to document their damage.
"We declared a state of emergency yesterday afternoon, which gives us latitude to do things with FEMA, road-related stuff we otherwise wouldn't have," Murphy said.
Evans said it was the fourth time he and his wife had gotten hit by floods. He said he believes abandoned railroad tunnels above may have something to do with it.
"When they built the railroad, they moved a brook over and they built like a trough for it and every time we get a super downpour rain it overwhelms the creek. It breaks through the sides of the river and now it comes through this tunnel and down this mountain," Evans said.
Residents said it is going to take some time to be completely cleaned up.
CBS New York reached out to the state about the so-called abandoned tunnels the couple mentioned in this story, but did not immediately get a response.
In other parts of the town, power lines are down and roadways crumbled.
Thomas Smith's farmhouse property was severely damaged.
"There's not much left at my place. The horse barn is still standing, but that's all. Everything in my basement is gone. We had seven feet of water in the basement," said Smith.
"That's the main concern, is getting the animals out of here to rescue them and get them to safe ground," said Jesse Smith.
Smith predicted it would take weeks, not months, to get his property back in order.
In Knowlton, an apparent mudslide brought down trees and covered Route 46 near Brookside Avenue.
JCP&L said hundreds of workers are deployed throughout the state, especially in North Jersey, to restore power. Many will work 16-hour days.
It could take several days to reach some residents in Warren County because of the severe damage to the roads.
"Incredibly important for folks watching this to document every penny you spend, whether you're a small business, whether you're a homeowner," said Murphy.
Supermarkets, like Acme, are working with utility companies to give out free ice and water, in anticipation of a hot week ahead, possibly without air conditioning.
