Flooding leads to dramatic rescue at Egg Harbor Township motel

🚨Five people and a dog rescued after motel owners ignored flooding warnings

🚨First-floor rooms at The Travel Inn filled with 3 feet of water during the storm

🚨Police chief slams motel owners, reckless drivers who risk first responders’ lives

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Five people and a dog were rescued from a motel whose owners were warned twice to get guests and residents out of the first floor.

Police Chief Fred Spano told Accuweather that the management of The Travel Inn in the West Atlantic City section was warned in writing to make sure the first floor was cleared out. As water rose along the Black Horse Pike on Sunday, officers returned to the motel to repeat the warning.

The warning was still not heeded, and volunteer firefighters had to rescue several people, including a child and a small dog, from their rooms as three feet of water filled the rooms.

"We had to have our great volunteer fire companies, Bargaintown and West Atlantic City, come out with their high water rescue vehicles," Spano said.

Chief blasts drivers who ignore flood barriers and put rescuers at risk

The chief said that there are three motels along Route 40 that are always threatened by high water and require rescues that put first responders at risk. During a rainstorm in 2024, 14 people were rescued from the motels when they became stranded after a foot of water flooded the parking lots.

The motels are home for many low-income people with no other place to live.

Spano was also frustrated with drivers who go around the orange cones placed on flooded roads.

"When the roads shut down and when you see a bunch of emergency vehicles in the middle of the roadway, it's shut down. Turn around. Find alternate routes," Spano said. "Every time this floods, it gets shut down, but everyone wants to still come up and see if they can get through here. Maybe a car could get through here, but the next one you can't."