Town Fire Dept. Helps Pump Out Flooded Basements But There's a Wait

When Francisco Rosario said his uncle's basement had four feet of water in it, he was being modest. He really meant the amount of water was so voluminuous it was exiting the basement and pouring out a crack near the foundation of the house.

Rosario, who had some Hurricane Irene problems of his own at his Noe Ave. house, had walked over to the flooded Grove Ave. home of Jose DeLeon to lend a hand.

The Woodbridge Fire Dept. had promised to come and help pump out the standing water in the basement in the morning. By afternoon, though, DeLeon, who speaks little English, pointed to water percolating up through the holes in a manhole cover in front of his home. 

"It's four feet, at least four feet," Rosario said. It wasn't hard to believe; Grove Ave., a dead end street, looked like a huge lake that extended from one house to its adjoining neighbors.

The houses at the end of Grove Ave. butt up against a berm upon which the NJ Transit train tracks rest.

The water was near the top step in the DeLeon basement. Various objects floated through the water, as if it were an indoor swimming pool.

The Woodbridge Fire Dept. has a long waiting list. "We've been working constantly," an official said. Basement flooding became the norm after a PSE&G power failure early Sunday morning during Hurricane Irene rendered busy sump pumps mute.

"We called several times since the morning. They haven't come yet," said Rosario. His uncle smiled, but looked horrified at the sheer volume of water in the basement of his house.

"They said they're on their way."

If you have a flooded basement, call the Woodbridge Fire Dept. at 732-602-6050.