Drivers were still trying to get through and risk getting their vehicles stalled in water that covered the hoods of some cars.
Several parked cars never stood a chance and are stalled where they last stopped. One resident went the wrong way to avoid the flooded roads. In Hoboken, several garden apartments were filled with floodwater and had to be pumped out. Local officials are prepared for more heavy rain on Friday evening.
RELATED | Record rainfall swamps New York City and the Tri-State area
Hoboken is prone to flooding and that is why a State of Emergency was declared Friday morning. Mayor Rhavi Bhalla urged residents to stay inside because conditions were expected to get worse on Friday evening.
Hoboken officials say they have had no injuries so far - but there have been two rescues. The fire department has been on at least 21 calls to pump out basements.
RELATED | How much rain fell in the Tri-State Area
Governor Murphy has been aware of the flooding problem in both North and Central Jersey. He declared a State of Emergency for all 21 counties in the state.
The torrential rain swept across the Jersey Shore and left several major roads flooded and impassable. The rainwater piled up on highways as visibility dropped. In Sea Bright, residents watched the Shrewsbury River as the tide got higher and higher.
Hoboken and NJ declare state of emergency; residents prepare for high tide
Monica Pizzolato delivers for Instacart - her customer on Friday is at the end of Navesink Drive in Monmouth Beach where the street is flooded and blocked with a stranded SUV.
"I just hit her up and said that somebody's stuck and I don't know what to do now, so I have her food in my truck. This is bad. This is - it's been bad. It's bad," Pizzolato said.
The pounding surf is grinding down at the beaches. Beach erosion was made far worse after days of stormy weather - and it won't get better for several hours, according to Monmouth County Sherriff Shaun Golden.
"We expect it to worsen throughout the evening, as well, as more rain comes down. And we have those tidal changes, so the water is just unable to flow out and drain like it normally would," Golden said.
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