Heavy rain hits Tri-State week after extreme flooding in New Jersey

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Thursday, December 28, 2023
Heavy rain hits the Tri-State
Parts of Queens experienced severe flooding after heavy rain drenched parts of the Tri-State Wednesday night.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Heavy rain overnight caused flash flooding across parts of the Tri-State area.

Communities experienced heavy rain just a week after extreme flooding closed streets, schools and prompted dozens of rescues.

The heaviest rain fell through the overnight hours, causing flash flooding in several areas.

The eastbound Belt Parkway was closed in Queens, where some streets had localized flooding.

In Westchester, the Bronx River Parkway was closed in both directions, between Exit 22 - NY 119 - Tarrytown Road; NY 100 - Central Avenue in White Plains and Sprain Brook Parkway in Yonkers.

RELATED | AccuWeather forecast for the Tri-State

Unlike the flooding of the Passaic River in Paterson last week, experts did not expect significant flooding from Wednesday's storm.

Last week, rescuers had to come to the aid of multiple people trapped in their homes following a powerful coastal storm.

Janice Yu speaks to a young child who was rescued from a home in New Jersey after severe flooding.

A state of emergency was declared in Paterson, Fairfield and Wayne and schools were even closed for the week in Paterson while the water receded.

Little Falls Mayor James Damiano said the Passaic River hadn't flooded since 2011, but that particular coastal storm was loaded with tropical moisture which dumped a ton of rain on already saturated ground.

Officials say recovery from flooding like what was experienced last week can take months.

In Fairfield, where sandbags were distributed last week, residents were asked to keep them for now just in case they need it again this week.

CeFaan Kim has more from Fairfield.

Marco Chavez says he hasn't even prepared for the rain this week because he's had to evacuate so many times already. He knows the drill. He says that the moment it looks like he can't drive off, he's out.

"Us, like our family, we already know what to do. We have to go to a hotel. It is what it is," Chavez said. "And our basement, forget it. Big time flooding. You can't go down there without it going to your knees."

RELATED | Why has the flooding been so bad? | Weather or Not

In this episode of Weather or Not with Lee Goldberg, we talk about the recent flood emergency all the way through the holiday forecast.

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