WEATHER Northeast prepares for more flooding

A county in New Jersey received 13 inches of rain in 12 hours.
MEDFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Residents in the Northeast braced for more heavy rain and flooding after some towns were hit with what meteorologists called once-in-a-lifetime storms.
Severe storms with the potential for more heavy downpours were forecast in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland today. Rainfall could reach more than 2 inches per hour, the National Weather Service said.
"That's up to Mother Nature," said Glenn Nickerson, who assisted with flood plan coordination in Burlington County. "All we can do is make sure Emergency Services is prepared."
State of emergency
On Tuesday, Gov. James E. McGreevey called a state of emergency in two counties, and lawmakers asked President Bush to declare portions of southern New Jersey a federal disaster area.
No serious injuries were reported, but the rains damaged hundreds of houses, stranded cars, breached small dams and forced untold numbers of road closings.
The storm dumped more than 13 inches of rain in a 12-hour period in Burlington County, located in southern New Jersey. It was classified as a 1,000 year storm, the National Weather Service said.
About 100 people who fled the rising waters in New Jersey remained homeless.
"We left with the clothes on our backs," said Sandy Tams, who was taken with her husband and children by boat from their Mount Laurel home after midnight.
Smyrna, Del., received more than 11 inches of rain, possibly making it a 500-year storm, the weather service said.
In Maryland, floodwaters damaged about 80 homes, and road flooding and bridge damage closed major highways and secondary roads, tying up traffic through much of the day. Crews worked to clear more than 100 trees downed in Elk Neck State Park and the nearby state forest.