The water has begun to recede in Sussex, but the town was underwater earlier in the day on Thursday.

“That’s a very good way to describe it,” Mayor Marc Thorne said in an interview Thursday morning.

“This flood, as it was in 2014, is as devastating for our community. We recorded water levels slightly higher today than we had in 2014.”

A rain gauge in the town registered around 190 millimetres of rain as of 4 a.m. Thursday.

“I’m standing in our emergency operations centre above the fire department and I’m looking out the rear window watching the creek run right through a subdivision. It’s hard to watch,” Thorne adds.

Twenty-four residents are currently utilizing a warming centre after they had to be evacuated from their homes, he says.

Thorne is discouraging people from coming into the community for the time being.

“This is one of the greatest problems we have is people who are curious to see what the damage is and they get in their vehicles and they drive through subdivisions with streets that are filled with water. This creates waves that go into people’s property and heighten the damage,” Thorne adds.

“It’s emotionally very troubling for people. I would say that if you don’t need to be here, please don’t come.”

You can listen to the full interview with Marc Thorne below:

Many residents who have previously been affected by flooding were proactive and prepared themselves and their homes in advance. For others, Thorne says it’s suggested you stay put if you can, shelter in place and wait for the water to recede.

“Once that happens, the cleanup will begin,” he says.

Town officials said they will be placing dumpsters on impacted streets so residents can get rid of items damaged by the flood.

The New Brunswick Emergency Management Organization is also assembling emergency recovery management teams to assess safe conditions for those displaced residents, it said.

For those in need of assistance, the town’s emergency operations control group is activated and a warming centre is open at 1067 Main Street. More details are available through the Town of Sussex.