NEW YORK – Heavy downpours hit the tri-state area over the weekend with record rains flooding streets and basements in several areas. In addition, bad weather caused wall collapses that forced residents to leave their homes.
Regular rains began to affect the region for most of Saturday, and although there was an overnight cessation, they returned on Sunday. During these periods, strong winds and even thunder were felt.
At least half of the region was under flood watch on Sunday, a warning that came true as night fell when rising waters began to tie up drivers.
Before the downpours ended, Central Park had more than a month of rain accumulations since Friday night. The weekend’s rainfall total was less than 5 inches, hours before the final storms dissipated.
As if two days of nearly constant rain weren’t enough, Sunday delivered the final blow to cap off a rather unpleasant weekend. An afternoon downpour flooded dozens of streets in nearly every borough across the city, including the Long Island Freeway at Fresh Meadows, where both directions were temporarily closed. Firefighters had to rescue people from flooded cars.
It wasn’t the only place the drivers needed help. Emergency crews helped several drivers stranded in Cross Island Walk next to Whitestone Highway.
Flash flood problems were not limited to vehicles. Days of rain had saturated the ground, resulting in downed trees everywhere, including one in Queens Village on Hollis Court Boulevard and Hillside Avenue.
In Brooklyn, residents of Bergen Beach spent most of the night trying to save basements as water and sewage poured into their homes. The families who lived along East 72nd Street between Avenue T there Avenue U They were cleaning up the mess in a neighborhood prone to flooding.
“Within minutes, only buckets were overturned. And it lasted two hours,” Jennifer Bernhardt told our sister network. News 4. “Today was horrible, it’s like Irene was being honest with you.”
Neighbors moved quickly to turn on their sump pumps, but that wasn’t enough to stop the rising waters from soaking furniture and walls. A man had to be hospitalized after running downstairs to check his basement and slipping, hitting his head.
Residents say the flooding isn’t entirely Mother Nature’s fault; they say the Department of Environmental Protection is partly responsible.
“(DEP) shuts down the lines when the sewage starts to overflow,” Bernhardt said. A department spokesperson said crews had been deployed across the city to help homeowners and admitted coastal flooding in areas like Bergen Beach was making drainage difficult.
Across town, residents of a six-story apartment building in the Bronx were forced from their homes after a retaining wall collapsed. The city ordered the evacuation of five ground-floor units after concrete crumbled and debris crashed into the building of Avenue of Saint Valentine in the Fordham Heights section.
“Everything is broken: the walls, the ceiling. I don’t know where I’m going to sleep tonight,” said one woman. Photos taken from inside one of the damaged apartments show a collapsed bedroom wall.
A similar collapse in Yonkers shocked a family in Elizabeth Square. The retaining wall next to the house gave way and crashed into the dining room of the house. Fortunately, no one got hurt.
A few scattered drops might linger through Monday morning, but most people should see a smooth ride.
The temps are back to warm to near 70 next weekend. Check out your 10-day forecast for New York below.
The weather forecast for May 1, 2023