Heavy rain floods streets, businesses in Camden, New Jersey, and Philadelphia
Several areas in Camden, New Jersey, flooded Monday after heavy rain fell across the region.
Multiple cars stalled Monday afternoon trying to drive through water at Cooper Street and Delaware Avenue. People who live and work in the area said the storm arrived with a vengeance but passed quickly.
Camden activated its emergency operations center because of flooding throughout the city.
"It's insane. I'm 4-11 and it goes all the way up to my hips or even into my stomach, so it's pretty high," said Sonya Ramirez, who works nearby.
"We're trying to go to the aquarium, and we just got here, and all of a sudden, the road was closed. It was crazy," said Julia Sliwoski, who is visiting from Seattle.
Camden officials said 4 inches of rain fell in a short period of time during Monday's storm.
A city spokesperson said crews completed some water rescues Monday, but no injuries have been reported.
During a press conference, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen said officials are developing a plan to deal with the damage and have been in touch with the governor's office. He urged people not to drive through floodwaters.
"This wasn't a typical rainstorm that happened today. This was unexpected and a serious weather event," Carstarphen said.
City phones and email services were disrupted by the storm but have been restored, he said.
Residents and business owners who have experienced flood damage are encouraged to contact their insurance companies and can call the city's emergency operations center hotline at 856-757-7132 or 856-757-7139 to begin the property damage assessment process, the mayor said.
JYM Supermarket in Camden shared a video on Instagram showing its flooded basement and water rushing down Haddon Avenue.
Daniel Duran, the owner of JYM Supermarket, was still serving customers with a smile, which is no small feat considering everything he's going through. The basement of his business was still fully underwater as of Monday night.
"The freezers, the ice cream, the milk, the juices, the sodas — all those refrigerators — the motors are underwater," Duran said.
The water will recede when it's pumped out, but the losses could linger much longer.
"$10,000 of merchandise down there that's lost," he said. "For the equipment that's down there, 50, 60, maybe $80,000."
Farther north, the roof of a BJ's Wholesale Club on NJ-35 in Monmouth County collapsed during the heavy rain. Video shared on social media shows water pouring into the store. Everyone inside the building was able to safely escape, officials said.
Rain floods apartment in Philadelphia, temporarily closes Kelly Drive
Some streets in Philadelphia flooded Monday as well, and water seeped into businesses and cars on North Front Street in Fishtown. The storms also flooded an apartment complex.
Matthew Talbot said that as water began pouring into his basement apartment, he and his fiancée grabbed their pets and ran upstairs to a friend's unit.
"Then, as we were going upstairs, we heard our windows burst," he said.
Talbot said it all happened just five days before their scheduled move.
"So, moving's going to be easier," he said laughing. "We have a lot less stuff now."
Even after losing so much, he said what stands out most is who showed up.
"How fast both my family, my fiancée's family and my friends were here to help," Talbot said.
Kelly Drive was closed between Fountain Green Drive and Hunting Park Avenue for hours but has reopened, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management.
Martin Luther King Drive is closed and expected to stay shut down overnight.
Rain floods roads in Philadelphia suburbs
The rain has left swollen, high-running creeks and streams in Delaware, Montgomery and Chester counties.
In Lower Merion Township, the gates were closed for several roads near creeks due to the elevated water levels near the intersection of Williamson and Old Gulph Roads.
In Media, crews were dealing with fallen trees after the branches became tangled in power lines.
Crews are working to restore electricity for customers in the region.
