Storm preparation is underway in parts of New Jersey as the remnants of Tropic Storm Debby approach.

One township closely monitoring the rainfall and potential for flooding is Cranford where neighborhoods sit along the Rahway River. All week long, the Rahway River has been filling up with rainwater. That’s why Cranford Township officials partially opened up floodgates at two locations to prevent flooding.

Cranford has floodgates at Droescher’s Mill Park and the other at Sperry Park. It’s a bit of a balancing act for township officials when deciding exactly when to raise and lower each gate and by how much.

“They were actually raised a few days ago because we got a big band of rain earlier this week and then this morning we raised them again to prepare for this storm,” Cranford Mayor Brian Andrews says of the gates.

The mayor says the township has also been prepping streets known for flash flooding. One of those is Casino Avenue where there’s been an effort to clear catch-basins. Barricades are being staged on corners so that streets can be closed if necessary.

“We know this is a major storm coming we know we’ve got a lot of rain this week so we are ready to close down these troublesome streets,” the mayor said.

Another problem area is Burnside Avenue where homeowners like Darryl Slater have taken on water in his basement in heavy storms. He referred to new storm drains which he hopes will keep water from filling his yard.

“This is new on the corner there. And that is new they put that in as part of the repaving process throughout here,” Slater says.

Flood mitigation is a big topic in Cranford. The mayor says there are plans to rebuild the flood wall, buy more mobile flood pumps and buy out homeowners who may be at risk along the river.