2 dead, state of emergency declared after drenching storms move through Tri-State

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

2 women dead after severe floods in CT; cleanup underway

Joe Torres has more on the storm cleanup in Connecticut from Southbury.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The aftermath of Sunday night's drenching storms and severe flooding is still being felt across the Tri-State area on Monday.

The flooding turned deadly in Connecticut where the storms dropped as much of 10 inches of rain. Crews recovered the bodies of two women who were swept away by floodwaters in Oxford.

Weather officials say the flooding was unrelated to Hurricane Ernesto, which on Monday was over the open Atlantic Ocean but still expected to cause powerful swells, dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast.

The rain lasted into the morning hours in Suffolk County where a state of emergency has been declared.

RELATED | AccuWeather forecast for the Tri-State area

LONG ISLAND

On Long Island, Suffolk County declared a state of emergency after large amounts of rainfall overnight pummeled the north shore, washing away roads and prompting rescues and evacuations.

Josh Einiger has more on the road to recovery for Long Island residents following Sunday night's storm.

Significant damage was reported from the heavy rain and flooding after some parts of the area received 6 to 10 inches of rainfall.

There were damaging mudslides, a dam that overflowed, a flooded Jericho Turnpike and even roughly 150 college students were forced out of their dorms at Stony Brook University.

Millions of gallons of water, turtles and fish went pouring downstream from a millpond, along with half of a house.

The vicious storm also swallowed up cars throughout Suffolk County, but it was the north shore that bore the brunt.

There were multiple water rescues in Nesconset, Ronkonkoma, Smithtown and St. James.

Suffolk County Police said they received dozens of calls from drivers stuck in floodwaters and from residents whose basements and first floors were flooded.

LIRR service is suspended between Port Jefferson and Kings Park in both directions due to flooding from the Nissequogue River west of Smithtown.

Suffolk County officials estimate that it will take $25 million to clean everything up and they are awaiting federal and state funding to help.

CeFaan Kim is live in Stony Brook with more on storm cleanup in Suffolk County.

CONNECTICUT

In Connecticut, two people were found dead after being swept away by floodwaters near Little River in Oxford.

Oxford Fire Chief Scott Pellitier said one person was in a car and the other was clinging to a sign when a rapid stream of water swept them away.

"Firefighters were in there in a high-wheel vehicle trying to get to her and the racing water was too much for her and she got swept away," Pelletier said.

The victims have been identified as Oxford residents 65-year-old Ethelyn Joiner and 71-year-old Audrey Rostkowski.

Floodwaters trapped 18 people inside the Brookside Inn Restaurant, and there were concerns that the restaurant's structure might be compromised.

Joe Torres has the latest from Danbury.

"The water is literally enveloping this whole restaurant. There was nowhere for them to go," said Jeremy Rodrigo, a volunteer firefighter in Beacon Falls. "And we were worried about the structural integrity of the restaurant because there are literally cars floating by and large objects that were hitting the building."

In Southbury, police asked residents via Facebook to stay home while roads were closed and crews responded to emergencies.

In nearby Danbury, city officials said in a statement that a mudslide prompted the evacuation of a home. Cascading water forced the evacuation of the Berkshire Hills condo complex on Shelter Road.

The Danbury branch of Metro-North service was suspended in both direction Monday due to the flooding. Officials said service on that line would resume after 5 p.m.

Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi discusses service disruptions after historic flooding.

Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on Monday due to the flooding.

"We are filing for emergency declaration to make sure we get to the front of the line, make sure that we get every resource we can to make sure that Oxford and neighboring towns can get back on their feet," Lamont said.

NEW JERSEY

The rain in New Jersey was powerful enough to bring traffic to a grinding halt. Hundreds of vehicles had nowhere to go on the Garden State Parkway in East Orange.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority issued a travel alert for weather-related closures on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. The water there practically swallowed half a dozen cars, including a state trooper's cruiser.

The rain also turned streets into rivers in cities like Edgewater, Hoboken and Jersey City and high waters swallowed up cars in other parts of the state.

Officials will be looking out for damage left behind and say there could be debris on roadways and drivers should be cautious when hitting the roads.