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.
“Heavy rain is likely to produce the potential for significant flash flooding throughout parts of New England on Monday,” said the National Weather Service in a bulletin on Monday morning. It added that “several additional inches of rainfall is expected through Tuesday morning as this system slowly moves eastward.”
A woman in her mid-30s died after she tried to leave her house with a dog in Highlands, New York, said the Orange County Executive’s office. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus told local media that the house of the victim floated away.
On Sunday evening, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Orange County, located north of the New York City metro area.
“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.
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. ⬇️
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) July 10, 2023
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.
“Our town is completely cut off from the rest of the world right now due to mudslides, sinkholes, washed away roads, flooding, brick walls crumbling and more,” she told NBC News. “I’m separated from my kids right now in Monroe at a friend’s house after spending five hours trying multiple ways to get to Fort Montgomery. Every route was impassable.”
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.
2:28am CDT #SPC Day3 Outlook Slight Risk: centered over the Missouri/Illinois area, and surrounding states https://t.co/K89lXjsUbi pic.twitter.com/8ozUoVgA3s
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) July 10, 2023
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
