The flooding shut down roads and forced emergency personnel to rescue people from cars Saturday evening
PRINCETON -Most places that were drenched in heavy rains and flooding last weekend were left virtually undamaged days later - but a handful of buildings and houses were not so lucky.
The rains, which started last Saturday afternoon and lasted into the evening, forced both towns to close down multiple roads and rescue people whose cars were stuck on the flooded streets.
One of the buildings hardest hit by the storm was Princeton High School, which saw around 6 inches of storm water pouring into the school in three hours, said Lewis Goldstein, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for the school district.
Goldstein said the water came into the boiler room, the auditorium and the classroom. He added that the sub pumps, already backed up from the flooding, couldn't pump water out of the school quickly enough. The rain had dried up by the weekday but Goldstein said damage had been done to the school. They were discussing the cost of the damage with the insurance company Thursday, he added.
Though the high school sustained damage that lasted at least into the week, it was by no means the only place seriously affected by the storm.
Princeton Junction Train Station saw heavy rains and flooding that washed out much of the station and the underground tunnels connecting the two sides of the tracks Saturday night. By Thursday, some caution tape still remained at the station and a worker was completing repairs on the tunnel but the station didn't sustain any lasting damage from the flooding, according to Lisa Torbic, a Public Information Officer for New Jersey Transit.
The station was one of many places that saw serious flooding but no damage.
West Windsor Police Lt. Robert Fow, who said emergency personnel had to rescue multiple people from their cars during the flood, said Thursday that the town itself had not seen major long-term damage, despite the ferocity of the storm Saturday.
Marc Dashield, Administrator for Princeton said the same.
"It was just an overwhelming storm in a short period of time," he said, adding that despite the amount of rain, the town hadn't found much damage to their streets or sewer system.
For West Windsor, the only lasting effect of the storm may have been the amount of overtime work it required. Barbara Campbell, secretary at the West Windsor Mayor's Office said two police officers were brought in for four hours of overtime. Meanwhile 37 emergency crew members - most of whom are volunteers - worked to battle the rain for a total of 205 hours between them.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman