For families and entire communities in New Jersey, it's still a waiting game for the flood waters to drop.
Neighborhoods are still surrounded and even inundated by water, three days after a coastal storm dumped inches of rain on the tri-state and the entire northeastern United States. And now residents are being told that some rivers won't dip below the flood stage until the weekend — at the earliest.
In Paterson, even a bridge has not been an obstacle for the Passaic River, carrying trash and debris around. It, like so many towns around New Jersey’s river banks, is dealing with messy, muddy water going up to car windshields. While the water is receding, it is doing do ever so slowly.
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"The displacement of the people, especially right before Christmas — it’s not fair to them at all," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
Many of the city's residents did not evacuate before the storms, and 31 had to be rescued afterward, dozens of which took place on Wednesday and Thursday alone. Now, some feel forgotten.
"It’s been this way forever and because of our bridges and how certain parts of Paterson are set up, this is what we have to deal with," said resident Jihad King. "We are [forgotten]. You see it, we are."
Schools in the city have been closed all week, and won't reopen until the new year. On Thursday, Sayegh said first responders rescued a stranded senior who desperately needed to go to his dialysis treatment.
Gov. Phil Murphy has not declared a state of emergency, but he did announce new tools to protect state residents from increasing flood risks. Anyone who wants to buy or rent a home in a flood-prone area must receive disclosure forms about flood risks. A new website will also allow prospective homeowners to look up houses in flood hazard areas.
But for those who already live in those areas, it’s a race to save Christmas 2023.
On the first day of winter, it wasn't snow filling the streets of Little Falls — it was floodwaters for the fourth straight day in a row. Over in Wayne, the flood surprised locals there as well. With each passing day, it looks increasingly likely that Christmas will be washed out for the neighborhoods there.
"Police usually warn us…we had no warning," said Jessica Moncayo. She and her family had been stranded in their home since Tuesday.
"We are in a flood zone. The last time we flooded two years ago, the town was really good about it, telling everyone to evacuate, cops were knocking on the doors. This time we had no warning — the water came so fast, so strong," said Moncayo.
Just take a look at the impact the flooding had on their home in Wayne (drag the middle to see the before and after effects):
It was a similarly rough week for Oscar Ortiz, left to clean out his basement. The first floor to his new home was left damaged, with no working heat there. His kids have been staying with their grandmother in the meantime.
But the storm didn't destroy everything for Ortiz. At least not what matters most.
"I was able to save these pictures — so I’m happy about that," said Ortiz, holding photos of his family — including the last photos of his late father and other cherished memories with his kids. "That's what makes me happy, everything else is material."
A gift for someone at a time when gifts — usually a typically a focal point of the holiday season — feel so unimportant.
"As you can see, everything’s messed up — but as long as we’re alive, that’s all that counts," said Ortiz. "I’ve got kids and it’s Christmas, so I gotta make the best of it."
