Lodi grew up along the Saddle River. Back in the day, thousands of people came here to work in the mills on its banks. The river built the town. Every so often, it also reminds everyone who’s in charge.
January 10, 2024, was one of those days. The Saddle River crested and spilled into the streets. Basements and lower-level apartments took on water. Main Street closed from Avenue E to Central Avenue, and families on Money and Sidney streets watched it creep right up to their doorsteps. Schools shut for the day.
For context, the river reaches major flood stage at Lodi at 8 feet. County officials had forecast a crest right around that mark. It came in higher than expected.
The water went down fast. The cleanup didn’t.
Start Outside, Not in the Basement
Once the river backs off, everyone goes straight for the obvious stuff. Soaked carpet. Ruined boxes. The boiler. Fair enough.
But a New Jersey State Police emergency management fact sheet suggests a different first step: check the outside of the building. Look at the foundation for cracks or other damage. If something looks off, have a building inspector check the house before you go in.
One more tip from the same office surprises people. If your basement is still full, drain it no more than about a foot a day. Going slow helps limit more structural damage.
While you’re out there, note where the water line sits on the house. Stucco looks like a hard shell, but it isn’t waterproof. It’s a cement-based finish, and it can hold moisture. A little is fine if the wall can dry out. Hours of standing flood water? Different story.
Photos First, Cleanup Second
Here’s the step people skip when they’re exhausted and just want the mess gone. Take pictures before you throw anything out. Lots of them. Wide shots and close-ups, inside and out.
Then get the walls looked at while the details are still fresh. Plaster Pro Stucco Contractors works right over the border in Hackensack, and their page on stucco repair in Lodi covers what flood water can do to a wall. Whoever you call, ask for a written estimate. It’s one more piece of paper your file is going to need.
FEMA’s FloodSmart guide to documenting flood damage spells out what to capture: photos and video of the damage inside and outside the house, taken before you discard anything. It also points out that flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program won’t cover mold. That’s a big reason to start cleanup quickly.
Will Flood Insurance Cover the Stucco?
Maybe. But don’t assume it. FEMA publishes appeal decisions on its FloodSmart site, and one of them involves exactly this. A homeowner asked the flood policy to pay for cracked and missing stucco. An engineer decided the damage came from installation defects and years of moisture, not the flood. The claim was denied, and the decision notes it’s on the policyholder to prove the flood caused the damage.
That’s the real lesson for Lodi. Photos taken after a flood help. Photos taken before one help even more. Pick a dry day this fall, walk around the house, and shoot every wall. If the river comes up again, you’ll have proof of what the walls looked like going in.
Also worth knowing: most standard homeowners policies don’t cover flood damage at all. Flood coverage is usually its own policy. Better to find out which one you have on a dry day than halfway through a claim.
Nobody in town can stop the Saddle River. But with a folder of before-and-after photos and your paperwork in one place, the next cleanup gets a lot shorter.