Flooding from Hurricane Erin prompts water rescues in New Jersey

AccuWeather

Daniel Adams, the fire chief of Margate, New Jersey, joined AccuWeather live to discuss the flooding that quickly overtook the city as Erin passed offshore on Aug. 21.

Transcript

00:00In Margate, New Jersey, where flooding led to dozens of water rescues overnight.

00:04So joining us now is the fire chief of Margate City Fire Department, Daniel Adams.

00:09Chief Adams, thanks so much for joining us here.

00:12Can you tell us more about some of the water rescues last night from that tidal flooding caused by Hurricane Aaron?

00:17Yeah, absolutely. And thank you for having me.

00:19It was it was quite a few treacherous hours for us.

00:24We had first reports come in of cars stranded in the water.

00:30We ended up having seven vehicles stranded for a total of 18 people, including three dogs and the youngest victim being three months old.

00:38So during that time, you know, we had our two storm trucks out there performing these rescues and removing these people to a safe haven.

00:47During the time of this incident, we also had a fire alarm at one of our local restaurants.

00:52And we come to find that the picture you're seeing now, there was over 30 people that we helped remove from that area.

01:00And get them to a safer location.

01:03You know, it's funny. There's a lot of comments about it looks like two inches of water.

01:07Well, yeah, where the truck was parked was two inches, but there was two to three feet all around that area.

01:12And these people had no place to go.

01:14And we just provided that service to them to assure that they were safe.

01:19Absolutely. So what were some of the challenges that you and your department were facing when you were carrying out these rescues?

01:24You know, one, first and foremost, was the depth of the water.

01:29Our fire apparatus doesn't have high exhaust, so we had to rely on our two storm trucks.

01:35And we actually called for mutual aid from the Longport Fire Department, a volunteer company just to our south.

01:41And they brought their storm truck and they assisted us with the removal of a lot of these occupants.

01:46In all total, we rescued or removed 50 people to a safer location.

01:53You know, when you deal with this water, it's the unknown hazards or what is under the water.

01:58You never know if a manhole cover or something like that could be moved or something of that nature.

02:03And it just puts our firefighters in a potential harm's way that they might not, you know, know or see what's underneath of them.

02:10And they may encounter an issue.

02:12The good thing is we issued to all of our firefighters after Superstorm Sandy, as part of their protective equipment, we issued them all waders.

02:20So they were able to don their waders and get out there into this area and these flood areas and perform the rescues and do what we had to do.

02:27Can you describe any of the damage, whether it be to structures or just to the dunes?

02:33They're very important, we know, in Margate City for the flooding brought on by Hurricane Aaron.

02:37Yeah, as far as the damage, there was some damage to some of the businesses in the area.

02:41In our low-lying, flood-prone areas, we have several areas in town that seem to flood on some really high tides.

02:49And that high tide, I believe yesterday, was about 7.6 feet.

02:52You know, the dune structures, from what I heard, they did take a little bit of erosion or have a little bit of an issue.

03:00I was down on the beach yesterday about 4.20, and the water was already up to the dune line in most areas.

03:08If not, it was within 10 yards of the dunes.

03:11And we were still three hours away from the high tide.

03:15But last night, when this water did come on and came on fast, we dealt with this situation relatively quick.

03:23I spoke with the captain on duty, and he said it just started pouring in through the storm drains

03:28and basically flooded the whole area by our fire station number one as well.

03:33And we did have a couple other incidents involving electrical issues.

03:37We had an underground transformer that was smoking that caught fire.

03:41We had another electrical fire during the incident, and we had a gas leak during the time of this high water as well.

03:49So what are your concerns for, let's say, tonight when the high tide comes in?

03:53And do you have any advice for visitors or residents?

03:57You know, we've been trying to put out messages.

03:59And during the night yesterday and during the storm itself, when the tide was coming up,

04:04we try and tell our residents to stay clear of any water.

04:08You know, turn around, don't drown.

04:11You know, it's a common statement when you talk about floodwaters.

04:14And people need to heed those warnings and heed that advice and stay away from these floodwaters

04:18and not drive through them.

04:21Believe it or not, a lot of the damage was caused from the vehicles driving through the water,

04:26creating the wakes that went into the homes and the residences.

04:30And people just don't understand and they don't know.

04:32And the other factor is a lot of these people are now driving electric vehicles,

04:36and electric vehicles and saltwater just don't match up together.

04:40We could have problems with vehicle fires down the road because of the electrical, you know,

04:46vehicles coming in contact with this saltwater and possibly causing some sort of corrosion

04:50that could eventually cause a fire with these lithium batteries.

04:53So just follow the warnings of the people.

04:57We tell you, stay clear of the flood areas.

04:59As far as the tide tonight, they're saying it's going to be similar to last night.

05:04The tide this morning was a lot less and it was not really impactful.

05:09We had a couple areas with some small minor flooding, but nothing like last night.

05:14And if they're talking about the potential of the same,

05:16I'm kind of concerned and worried about that,

05:18that we could run into the same problems that we encountered last night.

05:21All right, we have similar concerns here.

05:23Fire Chief of the Margate City Fire Department, Daniel Adams.

05:26Thanks again, Chief.

05:29And hey, just tell everybody be safe out there.

05:32And on a final note, our beaches have been closed,

05:34but they're most likely going to open tomorrow.

05:36And I see your headline there about rip currents.

05:39Please heed the warnings of your lifeguards.

05:41Follow their orders.

05:42Only swim at garden and protected bathing beaches and be safe out there.

05:46We want everybody to have a good time and enjoy our town and enjoy Margate City.

05:49But at the same time, we want to make sure everybody goes home safe and sound.

05:53And that's what it's all about.

05:55That's the most important factor, that everybody goes home safe.

05:58So thank you very much and have a great night.

06:02You too.

06:03Absolutely.

06:03We will actually see some really nice weather across the Northeast

06:06if you are going to be going out to the beach.

06:07But yes, definitely pay attention to any advisories.

06:09We'll see you next time.

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