Floodwaters Being Pumped from Belmar

Belmar on Wednesday morning, aside from the sun, looked eerily similar to itself from the previous day. 

Borough streets remain flooded from Ocean Avenue to nearly Main Street in most parts. 

The two lakes in town that doubled or tripled in size to cover more than half of town during the storm were being pumped into the ocean, Mayor Matt Doherty said. 

And much larger pumps from a company in Michigan -- the same ones used after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans -- are expected to arrive by Friday, Doherty said. The three 18-inch high speed pumps each can shoot 24,000 gallons of water per minute, he said. 

(Also on Patch: Photos of Hurricane Sandy's damage in Belmar)

The Water Rescue team has stopped pulling residents from their homes, but remains on stand-by, Doherty said. 

Residents, however, do remain stranded and the borough has been coordinating with family members to get them out safely, he said. 

Every intersection along Main Street is a free-for-all with as traffic signals have gone black, but somehow motorists have been able to mange themselves through the anarchy. 

Doherty said officials were in ongoing contact with JCP&L, but it seems the area will be without power for at least 7-10 days. 

The only emergency vehicles on Main Street are the ones heading somewhere else presumably, and rightfully, more important. 

Reports have indicated that the Army Corps of Engineers would fly over the area sometime Wednesday to survey the damage. The governor is expected to call for their aid during the recovery effort. 

Doherty said that without help from the federal and state levels, the borough could not afford the cleanup. 

The mayor said Belmar's top priority Wednesday was to get the water out of town. Crews and 11 large machines are also beginning to pick up debris from the boardwalk on Ocean Avenue. 

The beach area, unlike Tuesday, is now off limits to any sight seeing, Doherty said. 

State police were assisting local efforts to clear the area, he said. 

Doherty said his goal was to get the boardwalk repaired in time for summer. 

The borough is also asking for donations for the cleanup efforts on its website.