At least one death was confirmed after a storm system brought heavy rain and flooding to the northeastern United States on Sunday and now Monday, prompting officials in New York state to declare an emergency. The National Weather Service also listed much of the northeastern United States under various flood warnings and advisories as the system moves to the east.
“I have announced a State of Emergency for Orange County, which has experienced life-threatening flooding over the past few hours. We are in close communication with local officials and State agencies are participating in search and rescue efforts,” the governor wrote.
Ms. Hochul confirmed to WCBS radio that several people were missing and one home was washed away.
“Our Office of Emergency Management has been in touch with every potentially impacted county to make sure they have what they need to quickly respond. And they will be coordinating deployments of personnel and resources from State agencies should local officials need help,” she also wrote.
Ms. Hochul also noted that “parts of the state will continue to be at risk for flooding from storms bringing heavy rain, especially in those areas already hard-hit by rains and flooding over the past couple of days.”
“There’s a major flash flood. Major washouts were all around where her house is,” Mr. Newhaus also said Sunday. “So I could definitely see where she was trying to get out to safety, but did not make it, got swept away.”
The force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed the woman’s house and damaged part of its wall, Mr. Neuhaus told The Associated Press. Two other people escaped.
The victim “was trying to get through (the flooding) with her dog,” he added, “and she was overwhelmed by tidal-wave type waves.”
Fort Montgomery, New York, resident Kristen Dyroff O'Dell told NBC News that her town was cut off. The National Guard should be called in to restore access to the area, she said.
As the storm moved east, the National Weather Service extended flash flood warnings into Connecticut, including the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, before creeping into Massachusetts. Forecasters said some areas could get as much as 5 inches of rain.
By Monday, “a considerable flood threat with a high risk of excessive rainfall” was expected across much of New England, NWS said in a tweet. Intense rain may be especially strong in Vermont, where Gov. Phil Scott declared a state of emergency Sunday, and northeastern New York.
Showers and thunderstorms in New York City could lead to flash flooding, the National Weather Service New York posted on Twitter.
The city’s emergency notification system tweeted that the heavy rain could cause “life-threatening flooding to basements” and instructed residents Sunday to “prepare now to move to higher ground if needed.”
State Route 9W was flooded, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway became so drenched that parts of it were closed, the New York State Police said in a statement. The police asked the public to avoid the parkway.
The highest rainfall amounts hit Chalfont, Pennsylvania, which is located about 20 miles to the north of Philadelphia. According to AccuWeather, about 8.01 inches of rain was reported in the area as of Sunday at 10 p.m. local time.
Reading, located in eastern Pennsylvania, also received about 5.35 inches of rain on Sunday. That broke the maximum rainfall record that was set in 1952.
