NEW YORK, July 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two people were killed in New Jersey following flash flooding in the northeastern United States that caused travel chaos, authorities said, as the region braced for more heavy rain.
A flood warning remained in effect for parts of New Jersey, while the slow-moving summer storm was expected to continue showering the Mid-Atlantic region into the middle of the week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Torrential rain inundated parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland on Monday night.
Two people died when their vehicle was swept into a river in Plainfield, a city in New Jersey, and emergency responders at the scene were unable to save them, local officials said.
It follows another storm that struck the city on July 3 that claimed two lives.
In New York City, emergency officials told people living in low-lying areas or ubiquitous basement apartments to head to higher ground.
Torrents of filthy rainwater cascaded down Manhattan’s major avenues around the time of the evening rush hour, and commuters sought cover under building canopies and bus stops.
Several major stations in the city’s subway system were flooded, with passengers sharing images on social media showing waves of water gushing past ticket barriers and onto the electrified tracks.
In downtown Manhattan, dozens of passengers were reportedly trapped on a train as water poured into the 28th street station.
JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports temporarily suspended departures Monday night, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights.
The city is no stranger to extreme weather.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 killed more than 40 New Yorkers and destroyed approximately 300 homes.
Hurricane Ida in 2021 left more than a dozen dead in New York City, and damage to the subway took years to repair.
New Jersey’s governor declared a state of emergency, urging people to stay indoors
Authorities across the region, including as far south as North Carolina, warned of hazardous driving conditions as clean up operations were mounted across the region.
In Lancaster Pennsylvania, severe flash flooding prompted a disaster declaration, while emergency responders plucked people from flooded basements and conducted 16 water rescues.
“Intense rainfall dropped over seven inches (17.8cm) of rain in less than five hours,” the fire department in the county’s Mount Joy Borough posted on Facebook.
Staten Island recorded 10-15cm of rain Monday night, according to the New York borough’s emergency notification system.
The latest bad weather follows historic Fourth of July flooding that devastated parts of central Texas, killing at least 131 people and leaving more than 100 others missing.
And in North Carolina, at least five people were killed when Tropical Storm Chantal slammed the coastal state last week, Governor Josh Stein said. — NNN-AGENCIES
