In N.J., awaiting a possible second punch

The strong winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Irene moved on Sunday, but left New Jersey with new problems: the closing of many heavily traveled roads because of river and creek flooding, and the loss of power to more than 650,000 residential and business utility customers.

Gov. Christie ordered 2,000 members of the New Jersey National Guard to help with search and rescue work as officials assessed road and bridge damage, and utility companies began restoring power to communities across the state.

New Jersey's nuclear power plants had closed as a precaution and are expected to seek permission from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reopen, the governor said.

As bad as Irene was, it could have been worse, said Christie, who toured the Shore by helicopter Sunday, touching down at some locations to check conditions for himself. Atlantic City's casinos will reopen Monday, he said.

"I'm sure there will be personal property damage and loss," he said during a news conference. "There are extraordinary business losses," especially since the 10 days of the summer season leading up to Labor Day are so important to Shore businesses.

"If we get the power back on and get things rolling again," he said, he will invite people back to the Shore just as passionately as he asked them to leave when Irene approached.

The hurricane, the first to make landfall in the state in more than a century, was destructive and, in one case, deadly.

A Salem County woman was killed when she drove onto a flooded stretch of Route 40 in Pilesgrove Township, Salem County. Celena Sylvestri, 20, of Quinton, called her boyfriend early Sunday, then called 911. Dispatchers lost contact with her as water filled her car. Her body was recovered in the vehicle at 9:30 a.m. 150 feet off the road, police said.

The rising levels of creeks and rivers will be one of the state's biggest problems, Christie said during television interviews. "We are going to have record flooding in New Jersey," the governor said Sunday on Today, warning residents against leaving their homes.

The Rancocas Creek in central Burlington County flooded in many places. Parts of Lumberton were inundated as a tributary to the Rancocas left its banks. A stretch of Main Street was covered for the third time in seven years.

Lauren Tenner tried to walk through a flooded section of Creek Road to her father's house on Main Street to bring him food but was stopped by a police officer. The officer pointed out a mailbox up the street that was nearly covered by water.

Nearby, Roger Wells of Hainesport was driving away from his friend's house in Lumberton after wading through water up to his thighs. "It's time to get out," he said.

The yard of one house on Bridge Road was transformed into a swiftly moving river as flood waters formed a moat around the building.

At Main Street and Landing Road, Kep Bohlen watched as a lake formed in his yard and gushed through the basement of his tall red house. The home lost power.

"We've got another three hours until high tide so it's going to be a hell of a mess," he said in the early afternoon.

Altogether, 40 county roads - or parts of roads - were closed in Burlington County because of flooding and downed trees, said Ralph Shrom, the county spokesman.

A park at Mill Dam flooded in Mount Holly and a parking lot across the street from the courthouse in the township "is just a small ocean," Shrom said.

The Mount Holly Township Hall was nearly surrounded by flood waters and 100 houses nearby were evacuated. Also, parts of the Mount Holly Bypass flooded.

In Pemberton, the storm damaged the Bayberry Dam.

And in Burlington City, from 100 to 125 residents were evacuated from the Columbus Park section about 5:30 a.m. because of flooding, Shrom said. In Mount Laurel, 50 homes were evacuated just past midnight Sunday morning along Ramblewood Parkway due to flooding. Residents of homes along the Rancocas in Medford and Lumberton were also evacuated.

Nearly 50 people were housed Sunday in three shelters set up by the county with the Red Cross, Shrom said.

In Camden County, the Cooper River passed over its banks in some spots, and emergency crews shut down parts of nearby roads that had flooded.

Pooch Park, a county-sponsored dog park along North Park Drive in Cherry Hill, was partially submerged, its parking lot covered with water and tree limbs, a portable potty on its side. And Maria Barnaby Greenwald Park along Park Boulevard in Cherry Hill also was mostly under water, its bike and walking paths submerged.

Further west, Cooper River flooded parts of the eastbound Admiral Wilson Boulevard.

In Gloucester County, 80 roads were closed at some point. Greenwich and West Deptford are experiencing flooding, while authorities are monitoring dams at Scotland Run, Mill Creek, Mantua Creek, and Little Timber Creek with concern.

"Everything is flowing downstream to our dams and they're beginning to get stressed," said Robert DiLella, public information officer for the county's Office of Emergency Management. "We don't anticipate things getting better; we anticipate them getting a bit worse."

In West Deptford, residents of a trailer park were evacuated to the township high school, where about 60 people were seeking shelter.

In Harrison Township, the Heritage Station Winery is usually open on summer Sundays to draw the homebound Shore crowd to its wine tours and produce stand. It was closed with a sign saying "Irene Go Home."

On Sunday, Kings Highway over Oldmans Creek - the border between Salem and Gloucester Counties - was closed because the creek had overflowed.

In Woodstown, Route 40 at Kings Highway was closed, and in Glassboro, Route 322 next to the Rowan University campus was shut down because of a downed tree on the road.

In Cumberland County, Joe Sever of the county's Emergency Management Office said there were no major road closures but a lot of flooded basements. He said he has a personal rain gauge measuring up to 6 inches and it overflowed.

Jim Matlock, the county's director of public safety, was feeling relieved that the hurricane was not more severe.

"I don't know if we dodged a bullet," he said. "It may be more that we were lucky . . . When it got over us, it was kind."