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Harrison Mayor Lou Manzo released the following statement on what caused the giant sinkhole today on Swamp Road in Mullica Hill. 

Triggering Event:

At approximately 7:30 am today, we received emergency calls from residents on Swamp Road in Mullica Hill. This small, single-lane road connects Mill Road

Louis Manzo

(by the Old Mill) and the back of Chatham Lane. The report was that a natural ravine behind Swamp Road that retains stormwater had been breached, releasing all the water in that ravine and washing out that section of the road. That exorbitant amount of water (estimated by the County Office of Emergency Management to be more than 500 million gallons) rushed downstream in a small flowing tributary that connects to Raccoon Creek at Mill Road. That amount of water overflowed the normally 15-foot vast banks of the tributary creek. The water washed out the entire wooded area there, before flowing into the wider section of Raccoon Creek, which continues west of Main Street behind Woodland Avenue towards Tomlin Station Road and into Swedesboro and beyond. 

Activating the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) system:

This event immediately triggered our local Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to become operational, along with the County and State OEM’s, who were on the scene promptly. I was onsite since 8 am, along with Deputy Mayor Lawrence Moore, Township Administrator, Dennis Chambers, Police Chief, Ron Cundey, Fire Chief Matt Cardile and Harrison Township OEM Coordinator, Ken Powell, along with multiple members of our local Police and Fire Department personnel. As is the protocol in these emergent situations, the County OEM took the lead onsite under the direction of County OEM Director, Jack DeAngelo. 

Accessing the Damage:

There are three homes on Swamp Road, which sit on higher ground above the tributary. They lost electricity and water service due to this event, while homes along Chatham Lane also lost power. As always, resident safety was the focus and we quickly determined that there were no injuries suffered, nor was there any immediate ongoing danger. Accessing the damage and restoring power to these homes became the priority, as the evaluation of the impact of the water flow downstream and the structural integrity of the surrounding roads, culverts and bridges commenced. Officials from the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) were onsite to conduct those inspections, along with our Township Engineer. Over the next several hours, teams from AC Electric, NJ American Water and Pioneer Pipe Contractors evaluated the situation and began operations to restore electricity and water, where it was lost. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) provided consultation on how to proceed with evaluating the streambed and environmental impacts of the event. 

By early afternoon, it was determined that water and electricity would be restored by this evening, the integrity of all surrounding infrastructure was sound, and the assessment of downstream impacts produced no findings. On the advice from the County OEM, I signed a Local Emergency Proclamation at 2:30 pm today, along with Harrison OEM Coordinator, Ken Powell. This allows us to expedite the process in moving forward with repairs and restoration, while making us eligible for any potential State and Federal assistance. We are also filing an Emergency Application with the NJDEP to ensure immediate attention to this restoration project under their guidelines.

Going Forward:

I want to thank all the individuals and agencies that were involved in this response, especially our Harrison and Gloucester County OEM teams. Though we hope to avoid emergencies of this kind, we take solace once again in knowing that there is a rapid and solid response plan in place. We are also thankful that there were no injuries and we will work in the coming days to evaluate the best path forward in restoring this area with an efficient water mitigation system, while maintaining the environmental charm that exists there. 

Together For Harrison Township,

Lou

Louis Manzo

Your Mayor

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VIDEO: COURTESY OF 3CBS NEWS/PHILADELPHIA

THANKS TO GARY DEVINE, CNBNews tipster