Flooding from Mullica River causes road closures

Several area roads are closed due to flooding, as well as areas where small County bridges were damaged from Hurricane Irene. Also, the dam at Lake Nescochague sustained damage.

According to the Press of Atlantic City, besides the roads, major concerns include some small county bridges damaged by the hurricane and the dam at Lake Nescochague in Mullica Township.

Mullica Mayor Jim Brown said crews are examining the dam Monday but he is concerned about the safety of residents if it is breached. No status report on the dam was available Monday evening.

The township asked residents near the lake to evacuate Sunday afternoon after the hurricane had left the region.

Rebecca Maskos thought she and her family had survived the storm when they woke up Sunday morning. But as the water level kept increasing, they decided to evacuate to relatives in a safer part of town.

“We thought we had weathered it,” the Riverside Drive resident said. “It didn’t make us leave our house. It was the runoff that caused us to evacuate.”

Mullica resident Lydia Butterfoss said the water level is at the sidewalks at local residences but she and many of her neighbors are not considering evacuation.

“My concern with evacuating is they said ‘leave.’ But leave until when?” she said. “No one could give me a straight answer.”

Flooding and debris have closed other roads, including sections of Pleasant Mills Road, but overall, Brown said he was relieved by the final outcome.

“I think we escaped a bullet,” he said. “If we had a lot more rain and wind, we would be in a lot worse shape.”