In New Jersey, a large water supply broke through: residents were left without water, floods on the streets
'09.08.2022'
Lyudmila Balabay
On August 9, a horrendous water main burst damaged New Jersey's largest city and surrounding communities, home to more than 100 people in total. At the same time, emergency crews responded to at least one case when a sudden failure of the earth swallowed a woman's car, writes NBC New York.
A 140-year-old pipe burst in Branch Brook Park on the border of Newark and Belleville at about 8:9 am on August XNUMX.
Water gushed out of the ground for several hours after the breakthrough, at some points the jet of water rose up to 8 feet (2,5 m) high. Newark public utility officials say they found six problematic valves that were leaking. Four of them were closed by 11 am on August 9, the rest were planned to be repaired during the day.
UPDATE: Large Water Main Break in Belleville Affecting Newark Residents
Residents advised to boil water until further notice
City will go door-to-door to give out water
For water emergencies, call 973-733-3654; for questions, call 973-733-4311
— City of Newark (@CityofNewarkNJ) August 9
There were two major breaks, according to fire officials: a primary problem at Branch Brook Park on Mill Street and a secondary break at Joralemon Street.
In one part of Belleville, a funnel formed on the road, swallowing the entire car, with the exception of a tire sticking out of the water. The woman who was driving said she saw water bubbles hitting the asphalt and prudently got out of the car. She didn't get hurt.
All residents of Belleville were left without water or had low pressure in their water pipes, officials said. Most of Newark was also without water, specifically the North, West, South, and Central areas of the city. Boil water guidelines are in place in both communities, and water will be distributed to residents in Newark.
Part of the hospitals in these cities were left without water supply, because of which they postponed operations and even transferred patients to other institutions.
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Contingency evacuation plans and other contingency protocols were in place throughout the area throughout the day.
The Belleville and Newark water departments are working to fix the problem, officials said. The Newark Office of Emergency Management is asking neighboring towns to help supply residents with water during repairs.
There were no reports of severely flooded homes or businesses, but mild flooding affected many, including a KFC in Newark that was closed due to water problems. Some streets were flooded with water that reached the knees of passers-by.