NEW YORK, July 10 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain across a wide section of New York State on Sunday evening, flooding streets, prompting dozens of rescues for drivers whose vehicles were stranded on inundated roads and causing at least one death, the authorities said.
The Hudson Valley was the most affected by the storm system on Sunday, with sections of the area getting between five and eight inches of rain, the National Weather Service said.
The epicenter of the storm struck West Point, the U.S. Military Academy in Orange County, which had about eight inches of rain as of Sunday night.
Steven M. Neuhaus, the Orange County executive, said that there had been one death related to the flooding.
State Senator James Skoufis, who represents Orange County, said that the victim was a woman in her 30s, though neither official had details on the cause of death or circumstances.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sunday night that there were additional “missing individuals” in Orange County, saying that in one instance a house had been swept away into a stream. She declared a state of emergency for Orange County on Sunday night.
Neuhaus said that there had been multiple calls for water rescues in the vicinity of West Point and Highland Falls, both of which are on the western shores of the Hudson River.
County officials, police departments and other agencies were fielding dozens of emergency calls prompted by flooding that the Weather Service described as “life-threatening.”
Flash flood emergencies — which indicates not only that flooding is occurring, but that it is posing a severe threat to human life — were issued for stretches of the state. Flash flood warnings were also in effect for Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Westchester, Clinton and Franklin counties on Sunday night. A flood watch was also in effect across New York City until 6 a.m. Monday.
Additional rainfall and flooding were expected in the Hudson Valley overnight, prompting some towns to declare states of emergency.
A New York City-bound Amtrak train was halted, as it approached Poughkeepsie on Sunday evening, with an Amtrak employee announcing that there had been a “complete washout of both tracks” south of the city, preventing any travel by train.
The train was put in reverse so it could travel back to Rhinecliff, N.Y., where Amtrak officials were determining what to do with the passengers.
Flooding is a complex phenomenon with many causes, including land development and ground conditions.
Although linking climate change to a single flood event requires extensive scientific analysis, climate change — which is already causing heavier rainfall in many storms — is an increasingly important part of the mix. — NNN-AGENCIES