Storm damages Palisades Interstate Park; woman rescued in Englewood after flooding
ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey (WABC) -- The cleanup continues for many New Jersey residents who were impacted by the recent storm.
The damage comes as our area braces for Tropical Storm Debby, which has made landfall and is churning up the East Coast.
Debby's remnants are expected to impact the Tri-State on Friday, bringing rain and wind to an area that's already soaked.
The rain has nowhere to go, causing flooding in an area where trees' roots are already compromised.
All the rain, caused the ground to give way along the Palisades Interstate Park. Intense runoff, flooding, and debris caused portions of the road to be impassable.
The heavy rain lifted up the asphalt, crumbled the brick underneath and retaining walls were damaged. Mudslides caused trees and debris to fall into the roads.
The park commission said it is one of the oldest parks in the state which makes it vulnerable to damage.
With more rain on the way, there is growing concern about more damage.
"We are trying to prioritize clearing our our drainage structures, our drainage swales and catch basins so that we are ready to receive more storm water, but that's about the most we can do at this point and keep our fingers crossed," said Joshua Laird, executive director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Laird said the park is still working to reconstruct parts of the park that were damaged from Hurricane Ida in 2021.
"This storm impacted the same area and undid many of the repairs we did manage to take on after Ida, as well as sending new debris down," Laird said. "So we're used to some flooding in the park. But this this really did more damage than than we've seen in the past couple of years."
Officials expect the Alpine and Englewood recreation areas to reopen within a week.
The northern section of Henry Hudson Drive is likely to be closed for an extended period due to all of the damage.
According to the mayor of Englewood, his city received nearly six inches of rain. As a result, more than 100 people were rescued due to the high water.
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