New York’s deadly storm has killed at least one person after a woman in her mid-30s was swept away in her house while trying to save her dog amid biblical flash flooding.
Search parties desperately helped stranded families throughout the night as the severe deluge caused tens of millions of dollars in damage – washing out people’s possessions, ruining local infrastructure, and turning the state into a ‘war zone.’
The storm’s epicenter, Hudson Valley, New York, received as much as eight inches of rainfall Sunday as multiple cities and counties declared a State of Emergency because of the intense rain.
Several bridges have collapsed and roads are impassable because of the deluge. Trooper Steven V. Nevel of the New York State Police said the search mission, going into the early hours of Monday, is ‘all hands on deck.’
In New York City, federal forecasters issued a rare red weather warning for boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. Basement-level tenants were asked to find higher ground for the night in preparation for flooding.
Storm King Highway/9W in Orange County, New York, has been battered by the storm- with a portion of the road having been washed away
A number of vehicles travel down the stream of rainwater after the deluge hit New York. Cars are seen hitting into one another because of the quick-moving water
Rescue teams have worked throughout the night. Flash flooding is seen on Red Mill Road, Cortlandt Manor, New York
Vehicles come to a standstill near a washed-out and flooded portion of the Palisades Parkway just beyond the traffic circle off the Bear Mountain Bridge
County Executive Steve Neuhaus declared a State of Emergency in Orange County, New York. The town of Cornwall, which is on the western shore of the Hudson River, also declared a State of Emergency on Sunday night
Goat Trail 202 by Bear Mountain Bridge in Hudson Valley is flooded
One woman was killed as floodwaters overwhelmed West Point, home to the US Military Academy, leading to roads turning into rivers and submerged residential areas.
Videos and photos showed flooded roads, including Thayer Road leading to the military base, as state officials say roads in Orange County, New York, were impassable.
‘The amount of water is extraordinary,’ Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Commuters are stranded because of the rain that has battered the east coast for much of Sunday. Amtrak train suspended service between New York City and Albany due to the weather conditions.
More than 1,500 flights from New York City, Boston and Philadelphia airports have been delayed because of Sunday’s weather.
Areas from North Carolina to the northeast are under watches and warnings as rain pours on the region, hitting the hardest in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the rest of New England.
Rescuers saved a trapped family and wheelchair-bound female from the flood waters in a park in Stony Point. The town’s marine unit was then deployed again and safely recovered the stranded victims
Some of the gushing water has been described as a ‘war zone’
State Senator James Skoufis confirmed that ‘vital infrastructure and homes were washed away,’ during the catastrophic weather event
Brave rescuers have worked throughout the night to help those who are stranded
Piermont Fire Department in Stony Point said their underwater rescue squads helped reach an adult male trapped in his home from rushing flood water
County Executive Steve Neuhaus declared a State of Emergency in Orange County, New York. The town of Cornwall, which is on the western shore of the Hudson River, also declared a State of Emergency on Sunday night.
Neuhaus said the village of Highland Falls, near West Point, was the scene of ‘an absolute war zone.’
Predicting that repairs to fix the ‘massive’ water damage would take months, he added; ‘It’s a tough situation, lots of people are trying to fight their way in to help us.’
State Senator James Skoufis confirmed that ‘vital infrastructure and homes were washed away,’ during the catastrophic weather event.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day said six hikers had to be rescued from the surrounding, flooded location – as well as dozens of drivers – who got caught in the intense downpours.
Day said: ‘Orange County and Rockland county fire depts rescued 40 people from their cars at the long mountain circle at the top of the palisades parkway.’
The US Military Academy at West Point on the Hudson River has flooded, leaving cars stranded while homes in the residential area were submerged
Multiple people could be seen standing knee-deep in the water attempting to push the car to safety
The roads heading towards the historic military camp were flooded
Rosemary Willkomm, who lives in Cornwall-on-Hudson, said about the destruction of her home: ‘It took our fences down. We had 6 inches of water in our basement, all the way to our den. It undermined our whole property.’
Piermont Fire Department in Stony Point said their underwater rescue squads helped reach an adult male trapped in his home from rushing flood water.
The brave rescuers saved a trapped family and wheelchair-bound female from the flood waters in a park. The town’s marine unit was then deployed again and safely recovered the stranded victims.
Hochul said that people in the affected area still have a tough 48 hours ahead of them.
West Point in New York – which was flooded – is the oldest of the five American service academies and educates cadets for commissioning into the US Army – and is home to around 4,200 students.
On Sunday, the small town became the epicenter of the flooding disaster with eight inches of rain falling in hours.
The scene led to a string of social media posts from concerned locals. One resident posted a picture of Thayer Road, writing the stark warning: ‘Find high ground.’
Another clip from the West Point region showed a
