UPDATE: Passaic River Crested At Highest Ever Recorded Level in Long Hill Twp.

When the Passaic River near Millington crested at 10.2 feet on Monday, a height that closed even arterial Valley Road, (Route 512) the main route from Bernards into Union County, that was the highest depth ever in recorded history for that stretch of the river through Long Hill Township, the township's director of the Office of Emergency Management.

The river's previous high in that location, as confirmed by U.S. Geological Survey Figures going back to the 1920s, was at 9.89 feet in 1996, said Ken Fullagar, OEM director for Long Hill.

The Passaic River normally is about four feet in depth in Long Hill Township, Fullagar said. The risen water resulted in multiple road closures, cutting off the east side of the township from the west, even shutting off Valley Road for a few days as a main route between southern Bernards Township, into Stirling and other sections of Long Hill, and through Berkeley Heights into Summit, he said.

The flooding means that the township's police station not far from the river banks, just renovated at a cost of $130,000 to repair flood damage from 16 months ago, was again evacuated by the Long Hill police department, according to Fullagar and the Long Hill website. Police are again at the municipal building further down Valley Road in the township's Gillette section.

The website has been keeping residents informed on flood-related issues, including the start of sewage backing up as a treatment plant backing up. Residents were coopertive about conserving use of water and wastewater to help bring issues at the treatment plant under control, Fullagar said.

UPDATE as of Friday morning from website: 

• Crews have been working around the clock from wastewater management and will continue to do so. Crews have restored power to the pumps at the station on Morristown Road. Given this, it is highly unlikely that more users will experience a back-up of sewage.
• We still must ask that measures are followed to conserve water where possible for those areas serviced by the Morristown Rd pumping station (public sewer users east of Stirling Lake and public sewer users east of Pleasant Plains Road).   
• Please note that an automated telephone message will go out to those residents previously placed on alert when we are fully operational.

Fullagar said repeated floods have residents prepared for overflows from the river and the rising level of the nearby Great Swamp.

"I live in a swamp," Fullagar said of his home in the Meyersville section of the township. He said he is on a hill — and doesn't even have a sump pump — but was surrounded by water after Irene, at a level higher than he ever has seen.

As a result of living in a flood-prone area, township officials, police and volunteer emergency rescue workers have developed a tight, cooperative relationship, Fullagar said.

Fullagar said the department of public works parked giant dump trucks at locations where the vehicles could be used if necessary to get through floodwaters. "We're going to get there, come hell or high water," he said.

From the website on Friday:

• Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties* can begin applying for assistance today by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.govor by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). 
• Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly.
• For those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
• The toll-free telephone numbers wil operate from 7am to 10pm (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
• Hurricane Recovery On-line Resources
  • FEMA's Recovering from a Disaster:  http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/after.shtm
  • FEMA's Recovering From and Coping with Flood Damaged Property:  http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/coping.shtm
  • NJ 211 Hurricane Response and Recovery:  http://nj211.org/hurricane.cfm
  • NJ Dept. of Health and Human Services Flood and Hurricane/Recover/Returning Home: http://nj.gov/health/er/natural.shtml
• *Note:  Morris County IS one of the "designated counties".