19 hours ago
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When Jay Vigilante and his woman opened Callie's Creamery successful Neptune, New Jersey, they ne'er imagined their beloved crystal pick store would beryllium devastated by floodwaters.
Named aft their 7-year-old daughter, Callie, the family-owned store has been serving the assemblage for the past 5 years.
Over the weekend, severe storms dumped torrential rainfall crossed the region. Some areas saw astir 6 inches of rainfall.
Homes and businesses were flooded aft dense rainfall successful Deal, New Jersey, connected Monday, July 6, 2026.
(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Homes and businesses were wholly flooded. Callie's Creamery was among the hardest-hit.
"It's astir astatine slightest genu height," Vigilante told FOX Weather.
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Vigilante said helium was astatine the creamery precocious astatine nighttime making crystal pick aft a engaged Fourth of July weekend erstwhile helium received a telephone from a pistillate and her grandson asking if they could travel wrong since they were stranded successful their car from rising floodwaters.
At first, helium didn't deliberation overmuch of it due to the fact that the adjacent intersection often floods. He returned to work, expecting the tempest to walk without getting immoderate worse.
A presumption of flooded streets aft dense rainfall successful Deal, New Jersey, connected Monday, July 6, 2026.
(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
But astir 15 to 20 minutes later, everything changed.
"There's h2o virtually coming up to my feet," Vigilante said. "Just ... capable wherever I'm like, 'What is that? Did I permission the h2o connected somewhere?'"
He said floodwater began pouring successful done the solid doors, rising rapidly passim the shop. Within 20 to 30 minutes, the h2o had climbed to astir six inches, forcing everyone wrong to evacuate to higher ground.
"It was six inches precocious successful the full building," Vigilante said. "At that point, I told the 2 radical that were there, we should conscionable go. Let's get determination else."
Roads were flooded aft dense rainfall successful Deal, New Jersey, connected Monday, July 6, 2026.
(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Although astir 90% of the h2o has since receded, the cleanup is conscionable beginning. Mud and debris present screen astir each inch of the building.
"It's astir 3,000 quadrate feet of space, and each inch of it is dirty," Vigilante said.
To explicate wherefore the store was closed, Vigilante and his woman posted a video connected societal media showing the damage. The video rapidly went viral, drafting wide attraction to the demolition of the cherished business.
"People are virtually reaching retired saying, hey, you bash truthful overmuch for the community. How tin we help?" Vigilante said.
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As cleanup continues, Vigilante said the outpouring of enactment from neighbors and customers has fixed his household anticipation that Callie's Creamery volition yet reopen. For now, the store remains closed indefinitely.
"I'm not truly 1 to get excessively down connected it due to the fact that that's not truly going to assistance astatine all," Vigilante said. "So, yeah, it's a challenge. Let's spot what we tin marque of it."
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