Torrential rainstorms triggered flash flooding at the New Jersey shore, sending water rushing into streets and buildings and forcing dozens of people to be rescued as the storm hit.
Governor Mikie Sherrill visited a BJ's Wholesale Club in Ocean Township where the roof collapsed during the storm, a dramatic moment that was captured on video and shared widely afterward. Officials said that location would be closed indefinitely while repairs are made.
According to Eyewitness News, some areas saw close to half a foot of rain, with the city of Neptune seeing the worst of it at 5.74 inches. Dozens of people had to be rescued as the floodwaters rose.
One resident described the scene as a disaster, saying the water outside was knee high and that police had to take people out in what looked like a National Guard style truck.
At a baseball training facility, a group of children who had been there for a session found themselves trapped as the floodwaters came rolling in. They climbed a ladder into a high water rescue vehicle after being waved down to safety.
At the BJ's in Ocean Township, a large crane was brought in over the collapsed roof, and shopping carts were used to hold up caution tape keeping customers out. Local security said the building was structurally sound, and officials indicated the governor was not declaring a state of emergency over it.
The storms took a broader toll across New Jersey. In Ocean Township alone, first responders said they made 74 water rescues, while flooding damaged homes and businesses around the state and downed trees left thousands of people without power. The storms were also blamed for a death, as a driver in Scotch Plains was killed by a fallen tree.
Crews spent the following day drying out and trying to salvage what they could, as residents along the shore began to take stock of the damage left behind by the sudden flooding.