Devastating Flash Floods Claim Two Lives in NJ; NYC Streets Underwater

NEW YORK: Tragically, two people lost their lives in New Jersey due to severe flash floods caused by intense storms that battered the New York City area from Monday night through Tuesday, resulting in submerged vehicles and flooded subway stations.

The rapid downpour resulted in significant flooding of streets and underground transit systems, severely disrupting travel at airports, on highways, and across rail services. Emergency responders worked tirelessly overnight as rising water levels trapped vehicles and halted normal activities in the area.

In Manhattan’s Central Park, over 2 inches (5 cm) of rain fell in just one hour, marking the second highest hourly rainfall ever recorded, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

Videos captured on Monday evening showed deluges rushing into multiple underground subway stations, including a massive gush of water surging into one on Manhattan’s West Side.

Authorities indicated that the city’s transit infrastructure could not handle the excessive rainfall in such a short period. The aging sewer system is designed for approximately 1.75 inches (4.44 cm) of rain per hour, while the downpour exceeded 4 inches an hour at the storm’s peak, as noted by Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s environmental protection commissioner.

“I can’t recall witnessing rainfall of this magnitude before,” commented Adams.

New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency, announcing the unfortunate deaths of two residents in Plainfield whose vehicle was swept away by floodwaters.

The authorities discovered the victims inside a submerged vehicle, Murphy informed the press.

He highlighted that certain areas experienced about 6 inches (15.25 cm) of rainfall within a span of less than two and a half hours, and flooding occurred in regions that had never seen such events before. The governor attributed the increasing frequency and severity of these extreme weather events to climate change.

“This is our new reality,” he remarked.

In Westchester County, just north of New York City, emergency teams conducted multiple water rescues as vehicles became trapped and roads closed due to flooding. Nearby in Rockland County, the suburb of Nanuet recorded over 5 inches (12.7 cm) of rain, as reported by the National Weather Service.