'I'm trapped here,' says Ocean County resident surrounded by flooding

Officials in Tuckerton are warning residents in flood prone areas to monitor the forecast in the coming days. Watch video

TUCKERTON -- The brunt of Hurricane Joaquin isn't supposed to hit New Jersey until early Tuesday morning, but residents in Ocean County are already starting to see heavy flooding outside their homes.

Officials in Tuckerton are warning residents in flood prone areas to monitor the forecast in the coming days. At 1:30 p.m., the Tuckerton Fire Department posted photos on its Facebook page of flooding on portions of Little Egg Harbor Boulevard, South Green Street and Willow Landing during high tide. 

The flooding serves as a warning to residents, who say they will wait until it recedes before making more preparations ahead of Hurricane Joaquin. 

"Take whatever precautionary measures needed," the post read.

Theresa Borkowski isn't taking that news lightly. The 80-year-old, who lives about two blocks from the bay, has already started tying down her outside furniture.

"We're flooded down at the main streets, Green Street and Heron Road," she said. "I just drove through a foot and a half of water. We're just hanging in here to see what happens. We're scared because of Sandy."

Parts of Little Egg Harbor Boulevard flooded at on Oct. 1. (Photo courtesy of the Tuckerton Fire Department). 

Borkowski said she will stay tuned to the forecast before making a decision on whether to leave her home. Before Sandy, she had planned to stick around, before getting word that friends were leaving their homes.

"I'm glad I didn't (stay)," she said. "The water was right up to the rafters underneath the house."

Borkowski's home is raised about 10 feet. She said damage can still be done when severe weather, like during Sandy, hits the neighborhood.

"We had things across the property that we didn't even know where they came from," she said. "But hopefully this one won't come through here."

A high wind watch and a coastal flood watch were posted for the entire New Jersey coastline from Friday to Saturday. On those days, forecasters expect more heavy rain, tropical storm force winds and potentially major coastal flooding to occur across parts of the state.

Cathy Prontnicki's home on Curlew Road in Tuckerton is already surrounded by flooding. Meanwhile, her husband is busy working for a local towing company, pulling boats out of the water for worried owners.

"I'm trapped here, I cant get out of the house," Prontnicki said. "I'm hoping at low tide to move my car to higher ground and we'll keep a truck here in case we have an emergency evacuation.

"My neighbors are very busy securing their outside stuff and we're hoping for the best," she added.

While Prontnicki's home is also raised, she is currently working on getting some belongings out of the on-ground garage. She said the entire garage was wiped out during Sandy, causing her to lose a refrigerator, washer and dryer, childhood photographs and $1,000 in tools. 

"We already have severe flooding," she said. "Property values were just starting to come back and who knows (now). It scares people."

In neighboring Little Egg Harbor Township, Susan McEwan spent a portion of Thursday afternoon packing her home's outdoor furniture into her garage so it would not be blown -- or washed -- away. Though she acknowledged there was no guarantee that they would not still be lost to the storm.

"We had about 22 inches of water on our property during Hurricane Sandy and a home we own in Beach Haven West was destroyed," McEwan said. "So I'm pretty apprehensive about the forecasts of another storm hitting us, it's actually kind of frightening. We're just hoping for the best at this point."

NJ Advance Media reporter Rob Spahr contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.