Henri treks slowly across Northeast, threatens inland floods

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — The slow and sprawling storm system named Henri drenched much of the inland Northeast with rain Monday, hampering cleanup efforts and threatening further flooding in areas with ground already saturated from a wet summer.

Rains from the storm, which spared coastal areas of New York and New England major damage when its center made landfall Sunday in Rhode Island as a tropical storm, deluged areas from New Hampshire to New York City and down to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Downpours, flooding and even tornadoes were possible Monday in New England, where officials fretted that just a few more inches would be a back-breaker following a summer of record rainfall.

With rain still falling off and on, but with the sun finally peeking through at times, residents in parts of the Northeast turned to cleaning up any damage so far.

The smell of sewage filled the air in Rossmoor, a senior community in New Jersey, as people returned to their soaked homes and possessions.

Roseann and John Kiernan faced throwing out their appliances, ripping up walls and carpets and replacing their ruined car. Their house filled with nearly 2 feet of water on Sunday, leaving them without power.

"It's a mess," John Kiernan said.

Dolores Hebert recalled being ferried to safety by boat with her dog and cat as 8 inches of rain fell and water surged through the streets.

"I was sleeping and when I woke up, it was up to my knees," said Hebert, 76, as she stood by a front door bearing 18-inch-high watermarks.

Gov. Phil Murphy visited the community, which remains under a flood warning until midnight, on Monday morning. He also planned to visit Helmetta, where about 200 residents fled their homes, and Jamesburg, where Henri flooded downtown streets.