New Jersey flash flood blamed for at least 2 deaths as Gov. Phil Murphy says state was "crushed" by storms

CBS News

19 hours ago

New Jersey remains under a state of emergency Tuesday after Monday night's flash flooding devastated many communities, especially in Union and Somerset counties.
Gov. Phil Murphy toured some of the damage Tuesday morning in Berkeley Heights.
"Last night, we got crushed," Murphy said.
Murphy spoke about two deaths in the city of Plainfield and about a home explosion in the borough of North Plainfield.
"We're seeing more of this, more frequent and more intensity," he said. "Six inches of rain in under two and a half hours, in two waves -- one wave, knocked a lot of these communities a little bit off kilter; the second one just came in for the kill. So we're assessing around all these communities and counties."
Several drivers had to be rescued when cars stalled Monday evening across the Garden State and in parts of New York. Route 22 eastbound remains closed for emergency repairs Tuesday in Somerset County.
Murphy said he was in touch with the White House, and he warned more unsettled weather may be on the way.
"We're in one of these patterns right now, hot and humid, late afternoon-early evening thunderstorms," he said. "It doesn't feel, as I stand here now, as though tonight, tomorrow, Thursday will be at the same level of intensity that we saw last night, but you never say never."
N.J. flash flood blamed for at least 2 deaths in Plainfield
Officials in Plainfield confirmed two people were killed when a vehicle was swept into Cedar Brook during the storm. Their names have not been released.
"They were in a submerged automobile, and their remains were extracted at some point overnight or first thing this morning," Murphy said.
Earlier this month, two other people in the city were killed when a fast-moving storm whipped through. That same system also killed a woman in North Plainfield.
"All of Plainfield grieves this latest loss," Plainfield Mayor Adrian O'Mapp said in a statement. "To lose four residents in such a short span of time is unimaginable. We mourn with the families, and we remain committed to doing all we can to strengthen our emergency response systems and protect residents from future harms."
House explodes in North Plainfield during storm
It was a chaotic night across Union County. As first responders were busy with dozens of water rescues and shutting down roads, they received a report of a house explosion in North Plainfield.
They arrived to find a home on Parkview Avenue in pieces. What was once a beautiful two story home is now just a pile of debris.
The force of the explosion was so strong, pieces of wood ended up halfway down the block. One of the few structures still standing is the staircase leading up to what used to be the second floor.
Firefighters said the home was engulfed in flames when they first arrived. After getting the fire under control, they did a thorough search and determined thankfully that the home was unoccupied. No injuries were reported to firefighters either.
The firefighting effort was complicated by yesterday's torrential rains. First responders had to wade through ankle deep water as they dragged their hose lines.
How the fire started is still under investigation.